Download the printable version of the July 15 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
THIS WEEK'S NEWS
‘Therefore Go’ run to continue as virtual race
Church of the Resurrection offering Leadership Institute online this fall
'A Time to Listen' to continue July 25 with voices of international clergy
More about the stand against racism from beyond the Great Plains
News about the coronavirus pandemic from beyond the Great Plains
GENERAL CONFERENCE
Delegate group: Use delay until GC2021 to formulate a new vision
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Children’s ministry is topic of this week’s ‘Threshold’ webinar/podcast
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center offers online events
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
GP Communications Director Seifert featured on UMCom podcast
Discipleship Ministries begins new webinar series on dementia
Virtual United Methodist Youth Institute opens Monday; register by noon Friday
Foundations of coaching course to begin later this month
ADMINISTRATION
Pathways for Discipleship Grants offered by Kansas UM Foundation
RESOURCES
Discover 10 free marketing services available to your church
New course focuses on communicating about online giving
Listening is a key element in improving multiethnic communication
Free online school to train local church historians
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Oldest church bell in Kansas is ringing again at Lawrence First
State fair cancellation pauses tradition for South Hutch UMC
In other news
Newsletters
Blogs and commentaries
Classifieds
‘Therefore Go’ run to
continue as virtual race
Thanks to a generous grant from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, we are excited to announce that there will be a 2020 Great Plains Conference Virtual Race! Your health and wellness is vitally important. This is an opportunity for clergy and laity to be connected, and care for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. In preparation for the race this year, you will have the opportunity to receive training, support, and encouragement ahead of time. The Great Plains Conference has been focusing on the theme: “Therefore Go: Seek Justice.” Tying into this theme, donations given toward this race will go toward making a difference for antiracist justice education and advocacy within the conference. Clergy and laity are encouraged to sign up together to hold each other accountable and help strengthen our work together.
Who: Open to anyone in the Great Plains Conference
What: Virtual 1 Mile/5k/Half Marathon--your choice of race
When: Training encouragement, spiritual support, and coaching will be available starting Aug. 17; race to be completed by Oct. 10
Where: Your choice of where to walk/run
Why:
- Incentive to tend to your faith and wellness
- You will receive support along the way
- You can support antiracist justice ministries
- You will receive a T-shirt and 5k medal
- You can join others in the Conference in the first ever virtual race!
- If you have done something like this before, you can help encourage others
- If you have never done anything like this before, there will be a program for you to help you go from “couch to 5k”
Suggested donation: $15
Please register here by Aug. 17.
To Top
Church of the Resurrection offering Leadership Institute online this fall
Registration is now open for The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection’s Leadership Institute 2020, held online Sept. 24-25.
The online format is packed with relevant and actionable leadership development content through a livestreamed event, plus on-demand bonus material spanning across all ministry areas.
Individual tickets are $49 through Sept. 1.
The conference features:
- Four general sessions on Thursday, led by nationally known speakers uniquely positioned to address the extraordinary issues church leaders are facing in 2020 and beyond, including Ron Heifetz, founder of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership; the Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; and the Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection.
- Two breakout sessions on Friday, with six topics to choose from at each session, followed by live Q&A with the presenter(s). Sessions will be led by Resurrection staff and guest presenters.
- A library of on-demand workshops covering a variety of ministry-specific topics, all with tangible takeaways for church leaders to implement in their own setting.
- All the live sessions and the on-demand workshop library will be available exclusively to Leadership Institute participants for a year.
The conference also features a variety of ways for participants to connect with each other, including chat rooms for focused discussions and the ability to set “meet-ups” with colleagues.
Details and registration can be found at li.cor.org. Early Bird price of $49 is available through September 1. For questions, contact the ShareChurch Team at sharechurchconferences@cor.org or 913-232-4139.
To Top
'A Time to Listen' to continue July 25
with voices of international clergy
The second in a series of webinars, "A Time to Listen" will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 25.
The subject will be international and immigrant clergy serving in the conference, and panelists will be the Rev. Denise Sawyer, Lee Memorial Health System, Cape Coral, Florida; Pastor Angie Vertz, Bison-LaCrosse-Otis UMCs in Kansas; the Rev. Kibum Kim, Wichita Pleasant Valley UMC; the Rev. Charles Murithi, Nebraska City UMC; and the Rev. Ever Mudambanuki, Bennington-Solomon, Kansas.
Log-in information is available here.
Watch the first Time to Listen webinar from June 27 and read a recap.
Our Racial Justice page includes ways to bring messages of nonviolence and harmony to your communities.
To Top
More about the stand against
racism from beyond the Great Plains
To Top
News about the coronavirus
pandemic from beyond the Great Plains
Our coronavirus resources page has the essential information about when and how to reopen houses of worship.
To Top
General Conference
Delegate group: Use delay until
GC2021 to formulate a new vision
An informal group of General Conference delegates is inviting church members to make use of the postponement of the lawmaking assembly to cast a new vision for the church.
Read more from United Methodist News Service.
To Top
Clergy Excellence
Children’s ministry is topic of this
week’s ‘Threshold’ webinar/podcast
“Children’s Ministry in a Liminal Season” is the subject of the next webinar/podcast, “At the Threshold,” at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 16. Register here.
Are you thinking ahead about your fall programming for forming the spiritual lives of the kids in your church? Join the Rev. Melissa Gepford, intergenerational ministries coordinator for the Great Plains Conference; Mona Candea, children’s ministry coordinator at Olathe Grace UMC; and Madison Stumbough, children’s ministry coordinator at Winfield Grace UMC as they share with hosts, the Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford and the Rev. Shelly Petz about how they’re ministering with children and families during this challenging season.
“At the Threshold” will continue at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 30, with “The Church as an Educational Partner.” Part of our Wesleyan heritage is to support education as a way of impacting society in a positive way. School districts, teachers, and families navigating the changes of these last couple of months are stressed. How can churches partner to support this important work on behalf of our children? Shelly and Ashlee will be joined by National Teacher of the Year, Tabatha Rosproy, Early Childhood Educator who directs a pre-school in a nursing home in Winfield; Dr. Tawana Grover, Grand Island, superintendent of schools, and a Great Plains UMC pastor to discuss positive partnerships between churches and schools. Register here.
Mark your calendar for Aug. 13 and 27 for 10:30 a.m.! More topics will be announced soon.
Previous episodes are available on the Threshold podcast page.
To Top
Lombard Mennonite Peace
Center offers online events
The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center has announced new online events for the rest of 2020.
Five, 90-minute webinars, three one-day workshops and two major training events have been scheduled, via Zoom conferencing.
More information is available here.
To Top
Equipping Disciples
GP Communications Director
Seifert featured on UMCom podcast
Todd Seifert, communications director for the Great Plains Conference, is featured in the latest episode of the podcast “Get Your Spirit in Shape,” hosted by Joe Iovino of United Methodist Communications.
Seifert talks about his role in the conference, as well as his podcast “In Layman’s Terms,” which won best of class in the audio category at this year’s United Methodist Association of Communicators awards. The subject of the winning podcast was the transformation in the town of Greensburg, Kansas, which was devastated by a tornado in 2007.
Listen to “Get Your Spirit in Shape” with Seifert.
To Top
Discipleship Ministries begins
new webinar series on dementia
.png?width=222)
Discipleship Ministries began a new webinar series, “Dementia & the Church,” with a July 10 discussion of aging and keys to connecting to someone living with dementia.
Future topics will include tolls for connecting with people with dementia, common challenges in nursing homes, and essential documents protecting you and your loved ones living with dementia.
Registration for the webinars, as well as archives of the July 10 session, are available here.
To Top
Virtual United Methodist Youth Institute opens Monday; register by noon Friday
With a heritage of more than 100 years, United Methodist Youth Institute will live on this year online.
Virtual Institute 2020 will continue in the scheduled time of July 20-25, with morning, afternoon and evening content, as well as daily opportunities to connect with the Youth Coordinating Team, hear devotions from Institute alumni, share in a worship experience and connect with a virtual Care Group.
Although the Virtual Institute is free, there is an option to give a sustainability donation to Camp Chippewa.
Register here. The deadline is noon Friday, July 17.
To Top
Foundations of coaching
course to begin later this month
Would you like to make a discovery and learn the foundations of coaching? The new coaching foundations course aims to equip laity with the skills and methods for successful leadership and coaching practice.
The virtual coaching foundations course will be from 6-9 p.m. CDT Friday, July 31, and 9 a.m. to noon and 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. The cost is $20 per-person which includes online learning, nine hours of training, coaching relationships, and a book.
Registration is now open at this link.
Watch this video on coaching.
If you have questions, email Shane Warta, lay leadership coordinator, at swarta@greatplainsumc.org.
To Top
Administration
Pathways for Discipleship Grants offered by Kansas UM Foundation
What ministries could be possible with the support of a matching grant? The Kansas Area Foundation is offering Pathways for Discipleship Grants to Kansas churches and organizations in three key areas of ministry, children and youth programs, ministry and outreach, and leadership education. Applications for a 2020 grant are due on Sept. 1. The application is available at www.kaumf.org.
Children and Youth program grants are available to support all aspects of programming for children, youth and young adult ministries. The grant assists with the development of new, unique programs to attract children, youth, and young adults to the church through local church, district, campus ministry or conference experiences.
Ministry and Outreach grants help support churches in reaching the community in activities such as, programming, mission trips, and outreach ministry.
Leadership Education grants support education and leadership development of clergy and lay leaders. Grants may also assist in providing trainings for a church, network, or regional gathering.
If you have any questions, please contact the Foundation at jtrapp@kaumf.org or 620-664-9623.
To Top
Resources
Discover 10 free marketing
services available to your church
United Methodist Communications offers a variety of free resources for local church leaders, all developed to help you be a positive voice in your congregation and community. Learn about the top 10 services in a new MyCom Podcast episode.
Listen here.
To Top
New course focuses on
communicating about online giving
Churches must find effective ways to communicate about giving if they want fruitful ministries that make a difference. A free training offered by United Methodist Communications provides the tools to show why people give and how to give to the ongoing work of the church through online platforms.
Find out more here.
To Top
Listening is a key element in
improving multiethnic communication
As The United Methodist Church gears up a campaign for dismantling racism, it's helpful to hear from denominational experts on how to improve multiethnic communication. United Methodist Communications has gathered tips about listening, language choices and more.
Read more here.
To Top
Free online school to
train local church historians
The United Methodist Commission on Archives and History is offering a free online course that will cover a range of skills needed to become a church historian. The 12-week course will begin Sept. 14 and people can take it at their own pace.
Read press release and register.
To Top
Across the Connection
Oldest church bell in Kansas
is ringing again at Lawrence First
Lawrence First UMC had big plans for the year-long restoration of its 150-year-old church bell.
But the pandemic kept only a handful of people could watch the 1,500-pound bell ascending into its proper spot.
Watch video from KCTV.
To Top
State fair cancellation pauses
tradition for South Hutch UMC
This week’s cancellation of the Kansas State Fair ends a 70-plus year tradition for the South Hutchinson UMC and its food stand.
The Rev. Claire Gager said the church had already planned on not having its stand before the decision for the entire fair was made on Monday.
Watch video from KWCH.
To Top
In other news
To Top
Newsletters
- Camp Fontanelle, July 2020
- Discipleship Ministries: Stewardship, July 15, 2020
- Great Plains United Methodist Men, July 2020
- Leading Ideas, July 15, 2020
- UMY Institute, July 14, 2020
- Faith in Action, July 14, 2020
- A Sermon for Every Sunday, July 14, 2020
- KAUMF, July 2020
- Discipleship Ministries: Worship Planning, July 13, 2020
- GBHEM Resources, July 9, 2020
- Ministry Matters, July 8, 2020
To Top
Blogs and commentaries
- Time for Cross and Flame to go: The Cross and Flame, however well intended by its designers, evokes for many African Americans the Ku Klux Klan's cross burnings. It should be replaced as the symbol of The United Methodist Church, writes the Rev. Edlen Cowley, pastor of Fellowship UMC, near Dallas.
- Growing up with institutional racism: Growing up in segregated Denver, Rich Peck writes that he was "shaped by a society that shielded me from understanding the difficulties" experienced by people of color. Peck, a church communicator and retired pastor, describes later encountering institutional racism in the church itself.
- Scriptural imagination can help confront fear: It is natural to be afraid at a time like this. But the spiritual practice of reading Scripture within a deep tradition can be grounding for us, and it can help us be resilient in the face of fear, writes Florida Conference Bishop Ken Carter Jr.
- The case for masks in church: Safety, inclusivity and protecting a church's brand are three reasons why people returning to in-person worship services should wear masks, writes the Rev. Don Underwood, pastor emeritus at Christ United Methodist Church.
To Top
