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THIS WEEK'S NEWS
‘Activate’ to look at Fresh Expressions for local churches
Nebraska legislative briefing, Kansas LEAF going virtual next month
Missionaries coping with coronavirus challenges
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Great Plains leaders look back at year in newest ‘Threshold’ episode
First session of virtual Orders & Fellowship begins in three weeks
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
2nd Laity Summit on March 20 features Dotson as keynote speaker
Readiness 360 can get congregations rolling in new year
New year is theme of resources from Intergenerational Discipleship
ADMINISTRATION
Kansas UM Foundation continues Learn & Grow seminars
ComPsych will be provider for EAP services in new year
Retiree housing resolution for 2020 now available
RESOURCES
Higher education scholarships available
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Omaha St. Andrew’s Kindness Challenge a hit, organizer says
In other news
Newsletters
Classifieds
‘Activate’ to look at Fresh
Expressions for local churches
Last fall, clergy and laity from the Great Plains Conference participated in the “Steeple to Street” event with Fresh Expressions US. Fresh Expressions US appreciates the time our conference spent on that day as we all anticipate what a new kind of local church looks like in the coming age. Many evaluations mentioned interest in further training in leading your church to become a “new kind of local church.”
Next Wednesday, Jan. 13, Fresh Expressions US is launching a cohort called “Activate” that will do just that. You can feel free to check out the web page and information for Activate by following this link -- Activate.
Late in 2020, some funds were donated to Fresh Expressions US to help further the development of the FX Movement in the Mid-West. Fresh Expressions US would like to use some of those funds to offer a very generous scholarship to Great Plains Conference leaders if you wish to participate in Activate. It is an ideal follow-up from the Steeple to Street experience. You can use the code GPUMC300 to receive the $300 scholarship.
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Nebraska legislative briefing,
Kansas LEAF going virtual next month
Both the Nebraska Ecumenical Legislative Briefing and the Legislative Event for Advocacy in Faith, or LEAF, in Kansas will continue virtually next month.
The Nebraska day will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon CT Saturday, Feb. 13.
Presentations will be on Breaking News: The very latest from the legislature (Carol Windrum), climate change: What’s happening to our common home (Martha Shulski, Nebraska State Climatologist), education (Ann Hunter Pirtle), gerrymandering (Steve Dunbar), immigration (Linda Studnicka), racial justice (State Sen. Adam Morfield), workplace rights (State Sen. Megan Hunt) and taxation and budget (State Sen. Tony Vargas).
Those who register will be able to hear all eight presentations and join a breakout room for two discussions.
More information, including registration, is available at its new website, nelegisbrief.org. The site also includes a video message from the planning committee and workshop information.
Kansas’ LEAF day will be at 6 p.m. CT Monday, Feb. 22. The keynote speaker will be Lynn Rogers, who this week transitioned from lieutenant governor to state treasurer.
The featured panel will be Crisis Management for the Average Kansan, and feature Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (public health); Randy Watson, Kansas Commissioner of Education (education) and the Rev. Dee Williamston, superintendent of the Salina and Hutchinson districts (racism).
Workshops will be on climate and energy, voter engagement, interfaith action, gun sense legislation, diversity, education and inclusion, healthcare and education, among others.
More information on LEAF will be available in the next few weeks.
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Missionaries coping with
coronavirus challenges
The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries has 350 missionaries serving in 70 different nations, said the Rev. Judy Chung, executive director of missionary service. The highest numbers are located, in order, in Africa, North America and Asia.
“We did offer to evacuate our missionaries back in March when we didn’t know exactly what the reality would be,” Chung told UM News, adding that just a few evacuated. She said most wanted to “stay in place to be engaged in mission.”
Read more here.
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Clergy Excellence
Great Plains leaders look back at
year in newest ‘Threshold’ episode
When 2020 started, we anticipated that the cataclysmic event for us in the Great Plains UMC would be the General Conference of the UMC. No one expected that we would navigate a global pandemic. The discussion/podcast “At the Threshold” invited six conference leaders to reflect a bit on this historic year in the two-part episode “Hindsight 2020.” They are asked questions like: What have you learned from this season? What has surprised you? Where is your hope? We also discover some guilty pleasures and travel plans in the year ahead. Join Bishop Saenz, Directors Nancy Lambert, Nathan Stanton, Todd Seifert, Scott Brewer, and Dean of the Cabinet Mitch Reece as they stop, take a look around and even within. We invite you to do the same. These episodes debuted Dec. 17, 2020.
Part 1 introduces all of our guests and goes deeper with Bishop Saenz, Nancy Lambert and Scott Brewer.
Part 2 goes deeper with Nathan Stanton, Todd Seifert and Mitch Reece and includes a Lightning Round and a pep talk.
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First session of virtual O&F is at capacity; openings remain Feb. 2-3
The Jan. 27-28 virtual session of the Orders & Fellowship clergy gathering is full, but openings remain for the Feb. 2-3 session.
Register here.
Dr. Leah Schade will speak at two sessions. All of the gathering will be online. “Preaching in the Purple Zone” is available in hardback, paperback or eBook at a 30% discount at rowman.com or by calling 800-462-6420. Use code RLFANDF30.
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Equipping Disciples
2nd Laity Summit on March 20
features Dotson as keynote speaker
The Laity Summit will take place on Saturday, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT virtually. This is for Lay Servants, Speakers, Ministers, Leaders and for anyone discerning a call to leadership. It will be a one-stop virtual leadership event for church and community leadership.
Conference Director of Lay Servant Ministries Mary Feit, Conference Lay Leader Lisa Maupin, Gateway District Lay Leader Kathy Pierce, and Conference Coordinator of Lay Leadership Shane Warta have been planning this gathering since the first Laity Summit back in March was complete.
The planning team is aiming for laity and registrants to experience learning and resources for lay leadership. The overall theme for the gathering is “Building a New Normal.” The keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. Junius Dotson, General Secretary for Discipleship Ministries. There will be worship, workshops and networking.
The first 200 people that are registered by Feb. 20, will receive a participant box filled with useful resources, Dotson’s “Soul Reset” book and giveaways for an increased virtual experience.?They will be mailed directly to the registrant.
Registration is live here.
Visit the webpage here.
If you have questions about Great Plains 2021 Laity Summit contact:
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Readiness 360 can get
congregations rolling in new year
To get ready for next year, check out this visioning resource and plan on when might be best for your congregation to do this in the new year. Readiness 360 can help churches have conversations that would lead to embracing new ways for discovering a new context for your ministries.
Here are two video resources to help share about R360 with 3-minute or 7-minute testimonies from Great Plains churches.
We have found sending the emailed R360 survey code out electronically can be helpful to keep a congregation connected. When the survey is returned and calculated, the leadership team meets electronically with a coach to talk about next steps and visioning. The leadership can come up with a plan which will provide some strategic planning to live into for the next year.
For more information go to www.greatplainsumc.org/readiness-360 and/or contact your district Congregational Excellence liaison:
- Blue River, Elkhorn Valley, Missouri River – Rev. Melissa Gepford, mgepford@greatplainsumc.org
- Dodge City, Hays – Sara Shaw, sshaw@greatplainsumc.org
- Five Rivers, Parsons – Shane Warta, swarta@greatplainsumc.org
- Gateway, Great West, Wichita East, Wichita West – Rev. Kalaba Chali, kchali@greatplainsumc.org
- Hutchinson, Salina, Kansas City – Rev. Nicole Conard, nconard@greatplainsumc.org
- Prairie Rivers, Flint Hills, Topeka – Rev. Hollie Tapley, htapley@greatplainsumc.org
- Director of Congregational Excellence – Rev. Nathan Stanton, nstanton@greatplainsumc.org
New year is theme of resources
from Intergenerational Discipleship
The January resources for Intergenerational Discipleship has a new year’s theme, including videos, games, activities and more to help you and the kids in your life celebrate the new year.
Explore all the activities and information here.
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Administration
Kansas UM Foundation
continues Learn & Grow seminars
As the new year begins, the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation is offering educational opportunities through the Learn & Grow Seminar Series. All times are CT:
- Jan. 27 -- Estate Planning, 1-2:30 p.m. Guest presenter: John Griffin, Stewardship Counseling LLC.
- Feb. 15 -- Clergy Taxes, 10- 11 a.m. Offered in partnership with Discipleship Ministries. Click here to register for the February seminar.
- March 23 -- Basics of Social Security & Retirement Taxes (Part 1), 10-11 a.m. Guest presenter: Ken Sokol.
- April 13 -- Basics of Social Security & Retirement Taxes (Part 2), 10-11 a.m. Guest presenter: Ken Sokol
Click here for more information about the seminars.
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ComPsych will be provider
for EAP services in new year
In 2021 we have moved our Employee Assistance Program from New Directions to ComPsych. The program is anonymous for you and you can obtain benefits through the 800 number.
Attached you will find the following information and resources with ComPsych:
- FAQ for Employee Assistance Program
- Enrollment Flyer – Our dedicated number: 1-800-272-7255
- Financial Benefits
- Legal Benefits
- Work Life Benefits
Counseling services for any family member living in your household will receive eight sessions per issue. As discussed, be sure you to identify the issue and not to just label as stress. You may be stressed, but is it a financial issue, child issue, family issue, a moving issue. Labeling your issues makes is easier to obtain services again for another issue.
Please let me know if you have questions or need assistance. All conference staff and clergy working at least half-time are eligible for the benefit.
--Peggy Mihoover, benefits officer
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Retiree housing resolution
for 2020 now available
The Great Plains Conference’s resolution relating to rental/housing allowance for retired or disabled clergy persons for 2020 in the conference is now available at this link.
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Resources
Higher education
scholarships available
The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation is accepting scholarship applications for the 2021-2022 academic year. Through March 1, students are invited to apply for more than $2 million in funds available to help pay for attending colleges, universities or seminaries related to The United Methodist Church.
Find resources to share.
Apply for scholarships.
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Across the Connection
Omaha St. Andrew’s Kindness
Challenge a hit, organizer says
Born out of the pandemic, Omaha St. Andrew’s UMC’s first “Christmas Kindness Challenge” was a hit, the church’s executive director said.
“All in all, we felt it was very successful,” Abby Johnson said.
Nearly 100 church members participated, Johnson said, doing either a prescribed daily act of kindness or one of their own choosing.
“There were some suggestions for the day, other took it upon themselves to perform whatever acts of kindness were on their heart,” she said.
Suggestions included the simple, such as a message in sidewalk chalk for a neighbor, or sticky notes of encouragement left on the mirrors of public restrooms. Other were more involved, including buying a holiday meal for a family in need.
Each daily act led to a drawing just after Christmas for $500 for the participant’s favorite nonprofit organization. Of the 20 chosen, Johnson said, only two were duplicates. Many were in the Omaha metro area and others were national organizations.
Whether there are affects of a pandemic next holiday season, Johnson said she hopes the Kindness Challenge will continue.
“I really hope that it becomes a tradition for us to do this,” she said. “Pandemic or no pandemic, as Christians it’s what we should be doing – sharing kindness and joy. Sometimes during the holidays it’s easy to lose sight of that.”
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In other news
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Newsletters
- Leading Ideas, January 6, 2021
- A Sermon for Every Sunday, January 5, 2021
- MyCom, January 5, 2021
- Connectional Giving, December 30, 2020
- Leading Ideas Talks, December 30, 2020
- A Sermon for Every Sunday, December 29, 2020
- Christmas Card from Larry and Jane Kies, December 2020
- Immigrant Legal Center, December 18, 2020
- Faith in Action, December 17, 2020
- Discipleship Ministries: Children’s Ministry December 17, 2020
- Ministry Matters, December 16, 2020
Classifieds
Classifieds are posted for 30 days unless otherwise requested. Submit your classified here.
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