Download the Nov. 3 edition of GPconnect.

In this edition:

THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Anti-racism efforts are main focus of '22 Orders & Fellowship
Williamston among those leading effort to recognize lynching victim
With quick turnaround, former Nebraska UMC now childcare center
Adam Hamilton interviews coach who inspired ‘Ted Lasso’
Leader urges bishops to embrace 'a more loving way'
Discipleship Ministries seeks successor for Junius Dotson

CLERGY EXCELLENCE 
Mental wellness sermon guide available from Health Ministry Fund
Continuing ed classes for clergy coming during next three months

EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Joining God in doing a new thing
Introducing church planting ‘Bright Spots’ in the UMC

ADMINISTRATION
Foundation awards nearly $100K in ministry grants for 2022
KAUMF hosts webinar on creating an endowment program

RESOURCES
Christmas DVDs, leadership resources available from center
Podcast focuses on faith communities in Washington

ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Omaha First UMC provides Christmas trees for freewill donation
Lincoln UMC's ‘trunk or treat’ reaches out to community
In other news
Newsletters 
Classifieds

 

Anti-racism efforts are main
focus of '22 Orders & Fellowship

The 2022 Orders & Fellowship gathering will be Jan. 24-26 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney.

The theme will be “All People, All Nations: The Beloved Community,” based on Revelation 7:9.

The plenary speaker will be Tim Wise, author of nine books including “White Like Me, Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son” and “Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority.”

“Tim is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States,” Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. wrote in a letter to clergy. He has spent 25 years speaking to audiences at more than 1,500 colleges, high schools, and hundreds of professional academic and religious conferences.

“We will be equipped and encouraged to understand the role of the church becoming an anti-racist institution and gain the tools to examine the questions of: How would we know an anti-racist institution if we had one? What are the signs to look for if we were truly on the road to that goal? What does real equity look like in the church when we think about institutional policies, practices, and procedures?” the bishop wrote.

The bishop also will introduce the Advisory Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity during Orders & Fellowship.

The Orders & Fellowship page will soon more information on the gathering, including lodging information and schedules.

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Williamston among those leading
effort to recognize lynching victim

The Rev. Dee Williamston, clergy excellence director and assistant to the bishop, is one of three women who led a drive to get a memorial marker for Dana Adams, a Black man who was lynched by a mob in Salina in 1893 for refusing to leave a train depot when a white man told him to.

According to the Kansas Reflector, Williamston told the crowd about her trips to Gypsum Hill Cemetery, where a headstone for Adams had been placed on Juneteenth 2009.

“I would always stop and say, ‘We’re not done with you, Dana,’” she said. “You’re going to be remembered. We have not forgotten.’ His tombstone says: ‘Dana Adams, lynched by mob.’ We’re not done. We’re not done. And I also go, you know how you take care of a family member, I go over and I wipe off the stone to make sure it’s cared for.”

About 65 people attended the Oct. 24 service at Salina’s New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church. They filled jars bearing Adams’ name with soil, which will go to the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum as part of the Community Remembrance Project, as well as the Kansas African American Museum in Wichita and other state museums.

Read more from the Kansas Reflector.
A video from Kansas Reflector shows the soil collection service, including contributions from the Rev. Nicole Conard and the Rev. Nathan Stanton from the Great Plains congregational excellence staff.

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With quick turnaround, former central
Nebraska UMC now childcare center

A year ago this week, members of the Kenesaw UMC in central Nebraska voted to take steps toward closing the church. Less than a year later, the former church is the site of a busy childcare center, with 22 preschoolers and infants.

By the end of the year, organizers say, the former sanctuary will become a center for infants and two different age levels of children and the former fellowship hall, which currently houses preschoolers, will be the home for an afterschool program.

Leaders of the project credit Pastor Kathy Uldrich, shown here with some of the children, as a leader of the project and a bridge from the past to the future.

Read more here.

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Adam Hamilton interviews
coach who inspired ‘Ted Lasso’

The Rev. Adam Hamilton of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has shared the video of an interview he did with Donnie Campbell. Campbell coached actor Jason Sudeikis at Shawnee Mission West High School and was a model for Sudeikis' character Ted Lasso in the popular comedy TV show of that name.

Watch video.

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Leader urges bishops to
embrace 'more loving way'

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey has some advice for United Methodists feeling anxious about the many uncertainties facing the denomination: Stay focused on the Great Commandment.

“Let’s stop speaking ill of one another and creating even more confusion and more fear and more anxiety,” said Harvey in her third public address as Council of Bishops president. “Imagine a more loving way during this waiting period.”

She spoke Nov. 2 to her fellow episcopal leaders and other United Methodists watching online as the fall Council of Bishops meeting got under way. The bishops will continue to meet online over the next three days, reopening their discussions to public viewing on Facebook at 8 a.m. CT Nov. 5.

Read more from United Methodist News Service.
Group encourages bishops' grace in church exits.
Bickerton chosen as next president of Council of Bishops.

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Discipleship Ministries seeks
successor for Junius Dotson

The board of directors of Discipleship Ministries has authorized a search committee to fill the General Secretary vacancy created by the death of Rev. Junius Dotson.

Discipleship Ministries will open the search with its website at www.umcdiscipleship.org at some time around Nov. 8 and will accept resumes through Dec. 8.

Read more here.


 

Clergy Excellence

Mental wellness sermon guide
available from Health Ministry Fund

The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund has developed a sermon guide and toolkit to help faith leaders begin meaningful conversations on the importance of mental wellness.

In this sermon guide, the UMHMF define mental health as something we all have. It’s a person’s psychological and emotional well-being. Having great physical, spiritual and mental health is key to ensuring that communities thrive.

This sermon guide was originally imagined as an Advent series, though there are alternate liturgical and homiletical options provided that adapt the guide for use year-round.

Ultimately, the UMHMF hopes this guide will help your congregation create a stigma-free, supportive environment that promotes mental wellness.

The full sermon guide and toolkit are available at https://healthfund.org/a/mental-wellness-sermon-guide.

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Continuing ed classes for clergy
coming during next three months

Five continuing education classes for clergy are being offered by clergyeducation.com over the next three months:

  • Leading Your Church Through Advent, led by Kay Kotan and Rachel Gilmore: Thursday, Nov. 4
  • Teaching, Meeting, Preaching & Me: Time Management for the Church Leader, led by Ken Willard: Thursday, Nov. 1
  • Developing Effective Communication to Grow Your Church, led by Kevin Slimp: Thursday, Dec. 2
  • Burning Question: How to Do More With Less, led by Rebekah Simon-Peter: Tuesday, Dec. 7
  • Preaching During Lent and Easter, led by Bishop Sharma Lewis: Tuesday, Jan. 11

More information and registration information are available here.

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Equipping Disciples

Joining God in
doing a new thing

During the fall meeting of the Path 1 Strategy Team led by Chairperson Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., an opening devotion was given by Sister Judy Colorado from the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference.

In her message, she challenged the members and staff of Path 1 to “journey together into the new path God is leading us.” She also affirmed that “God is leading us to let go of the past and to embrace the new things God is doing.”

Read more here.

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Introducing church planting
‘Bright Spots’ in the UMC

Path 1, the new church start organization through Discipleship Ministries, says it’s blessed to hear so many uplifting stories around church planting. Starting this month, Path 1 intends to focus on some “bright spot” church plants and feature their stories in a newsletter.

Through the annual survey of our congregational developers, we recently gathered information about several ministries to highlight. The first is a virtual church from Western North Carolina.

To read the full story or to send us your bright spot story, click here.

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Administration

Foundation awards nearly
$100K in ministry grants for 2022

The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation would like to announce and congratulate the recipients of their Ministry Grant Program for 2022.

These grants are made available through the generosity of fellow United Methodists contributing to the Foundation’s Gifts from The Heart Endowment Fund, which works to support five separate areas, covering needs ranging from youth ministries to pastoral education.

The Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff would like to thank the many Nebraska United Methodists who continue to strengthen our Gifts from The Heart Program. Due to your generosity, the Foundation was able to award nearly $100,000 in grants to Nebraska churches and their ministries.

The following is the list of Ministry Grant Recipients for the year 2022:
Ainsworth UMC, Bellwood UMC, Big Springs UMC, Brownville UMC, Camp Fontanelle, Central City UMC, Chadron UMC, Cheney UMC, Crawford Valley-Plainview UMC, Dakota City UMC, Elm Creek UMC, Fairmont Community Church, Farnam UMC, Garden Prairie UMC, Gibbon Faith UMC, Gothenburg First UMC, Great Plains Conference Committee on Lay Servant Ministries, Hastings First UMC, Homer UMC, Kearney First UMC, Lexington UMC, Lincoln Aldersgate UMC, Lincoln St. Paul UMC, Little Leaps, Missouri River District, Omaha Clair Memorial, Omaha Union Memorial UMC, Orchard UMC, Overton UMC, Shickley-Ong, South Sioux City St. Paul UMC, St. Paul UMC, Stromsburg UMC, Superior First UMC, United Methodist Ministries - The Big Garden, Wahoo UMC, Waterloo UMC, Williamsburg UMC, York First UMC.

Grants will be mailed by Dec. 1 and are used to support ministries in 2022. For churches and ministries interested in 2023 funding, the program will open on June 1, 2022, with a deadline of Sept. 30. More information will be on the Foundation’s website at that time.

The majority of gifts supporting this initiative were established through estate planning. The Foundation offers services to speak in Nebraska churches about the benefits of estate planning. We are also available to speak with individuals one-on-one if you should wish to explore options on how you can impact your church. For more information, contact the Foundation toll-free at 877-495-5545 or info@numf.org.
 

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KAUMF hosts webinar on
creating an endowment program

Does your church/organization have an endowment program to help sustain future ministry?

From 10-11 a.m. CT Tuesday, Nov. 9, the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation invites you to join an online webinar on “How to Start an Endowment Program.” Rev. Dr. Dustin Petz, president of the Foundation, will share best practices for an endowment program and how to get started.

Petz has been with the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation since July 2018. He is passionate about helping individuals and families be good stewards of the resources God entrusted them. Dustin also has a desire to see churches, agencies, and institutions invest their resources in socially responsible ways. In his role, Dustin helps individuals, churches, and related organizations activate their ministry potential in their community. Dustin is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and served as a local pastor for 18 years, including communities and congregations across Kansas and Nebraska. He serves on the General Council on Finance and Administration of the United Methodist Church as Chair of the Fiduciary, Foundation, and Property Matters Committee and the Investment Committee, as well as on the Board of Trustees for Saint Paul School of Theology. Dustin is a graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science, Agribusiness. He received a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Saint Paul School of Theology, a Master of Theology (Th.M.) from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Wesley Theological Seminary.

All clergy and laity are welcome to attend. There is no cost to attend, and all registered participants will receive a link to the recording after the presentation. Register at https://kaumf-reg.brtapp.com/LearnGrowSeminarRegistration. 

For questions, contact the Foundation office at jtrapp@kaumf.org or 620-664-9623.

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Resources

Christmas DVDs, leadership
resources available from center

We’ve got a two-fer this week from the United Media Resource Center, with 18 Christmas DVDs for adults (non-study), as well as a selection of leadership DVDs and books, including “Art of Hospitality: A Practical Guide for a Ministry of Radical Welcome” by Yvonne Gentile and Debi Nixon from Church of the Resurrection.

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Podcast focuses on faith
communities in Washington

In this episode of the podcast “Field Preachers,” host Paul Nixon interviews Rai Jackson, pastor of The Well and the Bridge, two young faith communities in Washington, D.C. They talk about how young adult culture is shifting, even since March 2020, and the amazing possibilities of enhancing ministry with digital connections.

Listen now.

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Across the Connection

Omaha First UMC provides
Christmas trees for freewill donation

As a fundraiser for its youth and children’s ministries, Omaha First UMC is providing freshly cut Christmas trees for a freewill donation, delivered Nov. 27-28.

More information and a coloring page are available here.

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Lincoln, Salina UMCs ‘trunk or treat’
celebrations reach out to community

Many churches across the Great Plains held “trunk or treat” celebrations last weekend, inviting children from their neighborhoods into a safe place for candy and goodies.

Lincoln Havelock UMC: See more from KOLN/KGIN.
Salina Church of the Cross: See more from Salina 311.

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In other news

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Newsletters 

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Classifieds

Classifieds are posted for 30 days unless otherwise requested.?Please allow three business days for your classified to appear on the website. Email jmcfarland@greatplainsumc.org to update or renew your classified. Submit your classified here. 

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