Download the May 11 edition of GPconnect.

In this edition:

THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Connecting Council hears of progress in justice ministries
Conference purchases new offices in downtown Topeka
Topeka JUMP moves forward on mental health, affordable housing
Church court: Conferences can't exit denomination unilaterally
Traditionalist group remains as new denomination gets its start
Black leaders discuss church future during annual meeting

ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Many options for kids, youth during annual conference
Pastor Golf Gathering June 6 dedicated to memory of two ministers

CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Renewal Grant applications for 2023 are now available
After sermon planning retreat, clergy will have six months of ideas

EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Camp Fontanelle getting ready for summer with work day this weekend
This year's Summit Youth Academy will be last for its founding leader
3 R’s that laity should follow

MERCY & JUSTICE
Kansas congregations can help boost voter turnout

DISASTER RESPONSE
Conference is sponsoring NAMI Walks May 21 in Omaha, Topeka

RESOURCES
Max Lucado’s book on John 3:16 among featured titles
Book, conference explores multivocational ministry

ACROSS THE CONNECTION
For 150th anniversary, Nebraska church working to forgive medical debt
Wichita church helps in citywide food distribution
In other news
Newsletters
Classifieds

 

Connecting Council hears of
progress in justice ministries

Progress in justice ministry efforts in the Great Plains Conference -- including efforts in the past few years that have begun in Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas and Norfolk, Nebraska -- were reported to members of the Connecting Council at its meeting last weekend in Topeka.

The council, which votes on timely matters twice a year between annual conference sessions, also approved funds for helping unaccompanied minors who have crossed the border and made their way to Nebraska; boosting the mission of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity Task Force; and helping pastors and congregations in cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments.

Read more here.

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Conference purchases new
offices in downtown Topeka

A downtown Topeka building constructed as a factory in the 1940s and renovated in the mid-2010s will be the new home of the Great Plains Conference. 

The conference entered into a purchase contract for the building at 100 S. Kansas Ave., on May 5. Scott Brewer, conference treasurer and director of administrative services, says staff should be able to move into the new facility by May 2023. 

The cost of the purchase is $2.6 million, all from the conference’s reserve funds. 

Read more here.

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Topeka JUMP moves forward on
mental health, affordable housing

More than 1,000 representatives from Topeka and the surrounding area houses of worship gathered at Washburn University's Lee Arena on Monday night for the annual Nehemiah Action Assembly for Topeka JUMP.

JUMP, the Justice Unity & Ministry Project, includes 30 groups, seven of them United Methodist congregations.

They heard of progress in implementing crisis stabilization units in Shawnee County, as well as plans for more affordable housing in Topeka.

Read more and see a photo gallery here, as well as coverage from the Topeka Capital-Journal, WIBW and KSNT.

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Church court: Conferences
can't exit denomination unilaterally

The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that current church law does not allow annual conferences in the United States to withdraw from the denomination.

Read more from United Methodist News Service.

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Traditionalist group remains
as new denomination gets its start

The Wesleyan Covenant Association took the lead in creating the new Global Methodist Church, but WCA leaders say their organization needs to stick around and advocate for congregations wanting to leave The United Methodist Church. The WCA had its annual meeting last week in Indiana.

Read more from UM News Service.

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Black leaders discuss church
future during annual meeting

Speakers at the annual meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal were leery of what a possible splintering of The United Methodist Church will mean for Black churches. The meeting was held virtually April 28 to May 1 under the theme “We Are Strong. We Are Relevant. We Are Here.”

Read more from UM News Service.

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Annual Conference

Many options for kids, youth
during annual conference

While their parents and grandparents are clergy and lay members to the annual conference session, June 8-11 at La Vista Conference Center in La Vista, Nebraska, children and youth have a chance to experience overnight camp at the Henry Dorley Zoo in Omaha, day camp at The Water's Edge UMC, and on-site childcare at the meeting site.

Learn more and register here.

Annual conference is four weeks away! Keep up to date on our AC page.

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Pastor Golf Gathering June 6
dedicated to memory of two ministers

   

The Pastor Golf Gathering will return at noon Monday, June 6, at Woodland Hills, Eagle, Nebraska.

Tee time is at noon. The cost is $58 for 18 holes and a cart.

This year’s gathering will be in memory of Rev. Greg Hall (1951-2017), left, who served Fremont Calvary, Hooper, North Bend and Fremont First UMCs before his 2017 retirement; and Rev. Richard “Dick” Turner (1933-2022), former executive director of ministry in the former Nebraska Conference.

Registration information will be available in the next few weeks.

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Clergy Excellence

Renewal Grant applications
for 2023 are now available

The Office of Clergy Excellence announces the third round of Clergy Renewal Leave Grants for grants distributed in 2023. Clergy renewal leave is one way that the Great Plains Conference invests in developing, equipping, and empowering today’s leaders for the church of tomorrow. Is God calling you into an extended season of attentiveness to your own soul so that you might be faithful to the work that Christ is calling you to in your congregation(s) and community? Consider whether a Renewal Leave or Clergy Wellbeing Mini-Grant might be a resource for you. And read more about Clergy Faith and Wellness here
 
Renewal Leave is a period of time (usually about 12 weeks) that is granted by one’s local church for pastors to take an extended length of time to take a respite from the normal pastoral ministries for the purpose of renewing one’s vision, restoring one’s soul, and refocusing for the season of ministry and life ahead. The Clergy Renewal Grants are up to $3,000 and are available for full or associate members of the Great Plains Conference or local pastors who have completed course of study who have served at least 6 consecutive years under appointment. Past grant recipients have used the funds to cover pulpit supply while they’re away or travel or program expenses for a program of their own design for their season of renewal. 
 
The process of applying for the Renewal Leave grant is one that includes approval from the District Superintendent and one’s local church. The inquiry form about eligibility for the grant is now available and once it is identified that pastors are eligible, they’re encouraged to begin creating a proposal for coverage of ministry responsibilities and plans for renewal during the time away. All Renewal Leave plans must be jointly approved by the District Superintendent and PPRC/Administrative Board of the church/charge. Grant applications for 2023 will be received through Aug. 1, 2022, and applicants can expect to hear within a month about whether their application has been approved. Late applications received after Aug. 1 deadline will be considered on a rolling basis while funds are still available.  
 
You can read more about Renewal Grants (including FAQs) at our website and hear from some past grant recipients here.  
 
All clergy serving under appointment in the Great Plains UMC are eligible for a Clergy Wellbeing Mini-Grant, up to $450. The next grant cycle will open July 1 and will be open through Nov. 1 with eligibility to be used through the end of 2022. Learn more here
 

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After sermon planning retreat, clergy
will have six months' worth of ideas

Jesus took time away for prayer and silence before proclaiming to the crowds. You are invited to take time apart in a retreat setting with other colleagues and create long-range plans for worship and preaching with retreat leader Rev. Dr. Theresa Mason. The cost is $200 and includes lodging and meals and will be held Monday, July 25 (5 p.m.) to Friday, July 29 (3 p.m.) at Heartland Spirituality Center in Great Bend, Kansas.

Participants are invited to plan worship and preaching for six months to a year in a retreat setting with other colleagues. You’ll be able to brainstorm and bounce ideas off colleagues and/or plan alone. You can expect blocks of time for planning, spiritual renewal, and rest.

Space is limited, so register early! Participants may arrive early or stay longer by making arrangements directly with the retreat center. Check out the website to hear testimonies of past participants, learn more about the retreat, and register: www.greatplainsumc.org/atimeapart.

Questions? Email Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford, aalleycrawford@greatplainsumc.org.

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Equipping Disciples 

Camp Fontanelle getting ready for
summer with work day this weekend

Camp Fontanelle is getting ready for summer with a work day this weekend beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. 

Find out about that, plus opportunities for faith building this summer at camp and a report on progress in fundraising.

Editor's note: The amount that needs to be raised is 12.5%, not 8% as stated in the attachment.

Find out more here.

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This year's Summit Youth Academy
will be last for its founding leader

 

This year's Summit Youth Academy, July 10-16 at Southwestern College, will be the last one for the Rev. Wendy Mohler-Seib, who has been the director of Summit since its inception in 2017.

Find out about her plans and her successors as leaders of the youth academy here.

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3 R’s that laity
should follow

We grew up in education with the three R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic, and yes, Kirk Pemberton writes, it wrecks the idea of spelling correctly – and as we got older, we learned the three R’s of environmental care: reduce, reuse and recycle.

But Pemberton, Topeka District Lay Servant Ministries director, thinks there are two sets of the three R’s that laity should follow in their ministries and daily lives.

Read more in the latest LSM blog.

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Mercy & Justice

Kansas congregations can
help boost voter turnout

We’re increasingly learning that the more civically engaged a community is, the healthier the community. Unfortunately, Kansans are not voting in local elections at healthy levels. According to the Civic Health Index of 2016, Kansas ranks 41st in the country in adults who report they vote in local elections.

Your congregation can build participation in local races. Faith in Democracy is an initiative dedicated to ensuring that every Kansan is able to be an informed, enthusiastic, engaged voter.

You're invited to The Voter Network's Faith in Democracy team leader boot camp on May 17 at noon CT.

Join more than 40 congregations already participating in Faith in Democracy and RSVP today. You'll learn more about the upcoming 2022 election, as well as programs and resources to use to get your congregation and community voting! RSVP at https://www.thevoternetwork.com/votv_tlcall_2022_faith.

A tool all congregations can use is the “Tending the Civic Soil” sermon guide and toolkit, which supports civic engagement in your congregation and community. The guide was written by the Neighboring Movement team with the preacher and worship planner in mind. Find the full guide at https://healthfund.org/a/tending-the-civic-soil/.

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Disaster Response

Conference is sponsoring NAMI
Walks May 21 in Omaha, Topeka

NAMI Walks are all about building awareness, ending stigma, and helping NAMI offer educational and support programs across both states. Great Plains Conference is a sponsor for both walks. Churches, families, and individuals are encouraged to take part in these walks. For this year the NAMI Walk will take the place of the Great Plains 5K at Annual Conference. So, lace up your shoes, start training in the next month and support the area of mental health in our communities!

To learn more and to sign up for the Nebraska NAMI Walk in Omaha:
https://naminebraska.org/
To learn more and to sign up for the Kansas NAMI Walk in Topeka:
https://namikansas.org/

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Resources

Max Lucado’s book on
John 3:16 among featured titles

Selections highlighted this week by the United Media Resource Center include DVDs “3:16: The Numbers of Hope” by Max Lucado; “Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way” by Phil Tallon and Justus Hunter; and Eternity is Now in Session” by John Ortberg; and books “Celebrating the Graying Church” by Richard Olson; “Guide to Ministry Self-Care” by Olson, Rosell, Marsh and Jackson; and “In the Beginning was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life, 1492-1783” by Mark Noll.

See more here.

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Book, conference explores
multivocational ministry

What does it mean to embrace multivocational ministry? Laity, clergy and ministers in discernment are invited to explore this question together at an online ecumenical conference at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, May 14. The Embracing Multivocational Ministry Conference costs $35.

The conference coincides with the publication of “Bivocational and Beyond: Educating for a Thriving Multivocational Ministry,” edited by the Rev. Darryl W. Stephens with a foreword by the Rev. Lovett Weems.

Register for conference.

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Across the Connection

For 150th anniversary, Nebraska church working to forgive medical debt

Wahoo First UMC is celebrating its 150th year with an ambitious campaign. In addition to the usual celebrations, an anniversary worship service, catered luncheon, and historical open house, the church is also doing something for its neighbors. On April 24, their 150th anniversary, the church launched a campaign to forgive medical debt through a partnership with the non-profit RIP Medical Debt.

Because RIP Medical Debt buys debt on the secondary debt market for pennies-on-the-dollar, they can guarantee that for every $1 raised in a campaign, $100 of burdensome debt is forgiven. Wahoo First UMC, in honor of its 150th anniversary, is aiming to forgive $1.5 million in medical debt.

The theme for the church's anniversary was “One-Fifty Jubilee,” which calls to mind the Old Testament practice of the Jubilee Year, in which debts were forgiven and lives restored. As the church began planning its anniversary last year, the theme of Jubilee led them to ask how they could make their special year impactful for their neighbors, as well.

The campaign will start by wiping out available medical debt in Saunders County, then move outward to Nebraska, and finally Kansas. In this way, Wahoo First UMC wants to release families in our annual conference's mission field from the burden of unpayable medical debt. If you want to join their campaign, follow the link below to the campaign's page on RIP Medical Debt's website: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/campaign/33917/

-- Pastor Michael Carpenter

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Wichita church helps in
citywide food distribution

The Mayor’s Youth Council “FEED ICT” happened on Saturday afternoon, April 30 at Wichita St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. High school students from the Mayor’s Youth Council organized the food distribution project for the city. St. Paul’s was asked to host because the church is located in the middle of a food desert and where many nearby residents are food insecure. We were grateful to be asked and eager to help our neighbors.

Virtually all food collected for “FEED ICT” was given out. Food donations came from the Mayor’s Youth Council and high school students, St. Paul’s UMC, and other donors.

Members of the council at the event were from Wichita East, Wichita Northeast and Wichita South high schools. Carter Craig, from the city manager’s office, guided them. It was an opportunity for us to partner with the city and some outstanding high school students while helping our city.

--Rev. Donna Goltry, Wichita St. Paul’s UMC

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In other news


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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1207 SW Executive Dr.
PO Box 4187
Topeka, KS 66604
  785-272-9111