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THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Workbook for special session of annual conference available
Bishop urges churches to get ready for the new ‘church season’
One year in, Topeka's Cafe Quetzal connects with coffee, Christ
Eudora church channels VBS into a one-day celebration of food, fun, faith
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Expanded clergy discipleship talks include new videos, clergy meet-ups
Discipleship webinar continues with focus on pastors, ministry leaders
Deadline for fall round of Culture of Call grants is Sept. 15
Clergy retreat, Sept. 25-27, puts you in mindset for year ahead
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Eleven youth join first rounds of Leadership Lab
Grants available to help strengthen the ethnic local church
How do you #BeUMC? Tell us in your own video
MERCY & JUSTICE
Churches, individuals seeking to do justice can 'Partner Up'
DISASTER RESPONSE
UMCOR in need of cleaning kits; buckets will be collected at meetings
NAMI conference scheduled for Aug. 26-27
ADMINISTRATION
Kansas, Nebraska foundations host free webinar on budgeting, staffing
Applications for Kansas foundation discipleship grants are due Sept. 1
Nebraska Foundation ministry grant applications are due Sept. 30
RESOURCES
United Media Resource Center reopens after move to new location
Church of the Resurrection’s Leadership Institute is Sept. 28-30
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
In other news
Newsletters
Commentaries
Classifieds
Workbook for special session
of annual conference available
The workbook for the special session of annual conference is ready for you to download, print and/or review.
The document includes an outline for the agenda for our Sept. 10 meeting on Zoom. The workbook also includes the legislation for disaffiliating churches, a proposed change in governance for Great Plains Camps Inc., and the proposed 2023 annual conference budget.
Download the workbook here.
The conference will release an instructional video soon regarding voting during the special session. A link to the video will be sent to all clergy and lay members to annual conference and will be available on the conference’s video player once it is released.
It is crucial that attendees register for the special session by Aug. 26 to allow for the information to get to the company handling the voting system for this special session. You can register here.
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Bishop urges churches to get
ready for the new ‘church season’
A former coach and player, Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. loves the start of football season. But he loves the start of the new church season even more.
In a new video, the bishop shares encouragement for churches to get ready for fall programming and encourages all involved in the life of the local church to do their part to ensure each congregation is prepared to assist in the mission of making new disciples for the transformation of the world.
Check out the bishop’s video.
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One year in, Topeka's Cafe
Quetzal connects with coffee, Christ
Topeka's Cafe Quetzal will celebrate its first anniversary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, with food and drink specials, a bounce house and drawings.
The founders of the coffeeshop ministry, the Rev. Christine Potter and Barb Muench, see the church start as a success as a business, a worship center and community center.
Read more and see photos here.
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Eudora church channels VBS into a
one-day celebration of food, fun, faith
Rather than having a vacation Bible school this year, Kansas' Eudora UMC put all of its time and energy into a two-hour intergenerational celebration Sunday with a theme of food.
After a short, interactive worship service, families performed activities together, including making their own pizzas, going on scavenger hunts across the church, and pelting the Rev. Ross Baker with whipped cream pies. Many, many whipped cream pies.
Read more and see photos here.
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Clergy Excellence
Expanded clergy discipleship talks include new videos, clergy meet-ups
In keeping with the 2022 Annual Conference theme, “Discipleship Reimagined,” the Office of Clergy Excellence invites clergy to consider their own discipleship in this season in order to lean more fully into the abundant life of Christ. Ashlee Alley Crawford and Shelly Petz are “going on the road” to host conversations with several groups of clergy. We’re sharing the videos of the conversations and issuing an invitation for clergy to join in at least one follow-up conversations via Zoom with the guests this fall. The first video is available now, and two more will be released soon. Check out the latest about Clergy Discipleship below:
- Shelly and Ashlee talk first with Rev. Dr. James Bryan Smith, associate professor of religion and Dallas Willard Chair of Spiritual Formation at Friends University in Wichita and Rev. Michael Tomson-DeGreeff, senior pastor at Trinity UMC in Hutchinson. Watch video here. Check out our “Overtime” conversations here.
- Two more videos coming soon!
- Check out our new Clergy Discipleship “Splash Page.” You’ll find a collection of resources to help you cultivate your own relationship with Christ as clergy leaders.
- See below for Clergy Discipleship Meet-Ups with some of our own Great Plains clergy talking about their own discipleship.
Do you want to have an opportunity to connect with other clergy and one of the guests who sat down to talk with us? Would you put one of these dates on your calendar for this fall? Register for one of these conversations today, bring your cup of coffee, and let’s connect around what it means to grow in our own discipleship as ministry leaders. Fall Zoom “Clergy Discipleship Meet-Ups” listed with the special guest who will join us below:
- Tuesday, Sept. 13, 10-11 a.m., Dr. James Bryan Smith, Religion Professor at Friends University, Wichita. Register here.
- Tuesday, Sept. 20, 10-11 a.m., Rev. Maria Campbell, Heritage UMC, Overland Park. Register here.
- Thursday, Sept. 22, 10-11 a.m., Rev. Dr. Craig Finnestad, Water’s Edge UMC, Omaha. Register here.
- Tuesday, Oct. 11, 10-11 a.m., Rev. Dr. Bruce Emmert, Forge CMC, Retired Elder. Register here.
- Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2-3 p.m., Rev. Dr. Reuben Langat, Clay Center UMC, Clay Center, KS. Register here.
- Thursday, Oct. 20, 2-3 p.m., Rev. Michael Tomson-DeGreeff, Trinity UMC, Hutchinson. Register here.
- Thursday, Oct. 27, 10-11 a.m., Rev. Amy Lippoldt, St. Paul’s UMC, Papillion, NE. Register here.
- Thursday, Nov. 17, 10-11 a.m., Rev. Juan Carlos Veloso, Iglesia Comunitaria and Grace UMC, Omaha. Register here.
Read more about this series and find previous episodes here. For questions, reach out to Ashlee or Shelly. Subscribe or follow for easier listening opportunities on the following platforms:
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Discipleship webinar continues with
focus on pastors, ministry leaders
Next week is the second seminar in a three-part series by Revs. Alex and Hannah Absalom about Discipleship and is targeted to pastors and ministry leaders. “Growing in your Discipleship as a Ministry Leader,” will be held at 11:30 a.m. CT Tuesday, Aug. 23. Here’s how the Absaloms describe the webinar for next week:
“Leadership in the local church can be become all consuming - especially with all the turmoil of the past few years. Along the way, it has been easy to lose touch with our first love for Jesus. In this webinar just for pastors and key leaders, you will be gently shown how to reset yourself as a disciple of Jesus above all else. With proven practices, ideas, and simple next steps taken from the front lines of ministry, Hannah and Alex Absalom will encourage you to experience afresh the truth that God loves you for who you are rather than for what you do.”
Register here for the August webinar.
The third seminar, “Barriers to Embracing a Disciple-Making Culture,” will be at 11:30 a.m. CT Tuesday, Sept. 27. Register here for the September webinar. If you’re interested in seeing the first of the three webinars, a book study of “Discipleship that Fits,” you can find the video here.
More information about the Absaloms’ “Season of Witness” Discipleship Course is available at www.greatplainsumc.org/discipleship.
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Deadline for fall round of
Culture of Call grants is Sept. 15
The Culture of Call grant was designed to provide churches, campus ministries, United Methodist organizations and districts in the Great Plains UMC with resources to fuel their imaginations in creating opportunities to cultivate a Culture of Call. Grants will be awarded in the range of $500-$2,000. Since 2016, we’ve awarded 72 grants totaling just over $114,000. Last year, we hosted a webinar helping ministry leaders learn more about what it means to have a culture of call. You can find a recording of the webinar, read some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), work through two planning documents to help you write your grant and find the application here: www.greatplainsumc.org/cocgrant.
Bonus opportunity: you can read about past grants here: https://www.greatplainsumc.org/cultureofcallresources.
2022 Deadlines
- Sept. 15 — Late deadline, awards announced Oct. 7
- Oct. 10 — Distribution of funds
- All funds should be spent with final documentation submitted by Sept. 1, 2023.
Questions? Contact Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford, aalleycrawford@greatplainsumc.org, 785-414-4216.
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Clergy retreat, Sept. 25-27,
puts you in mindset for year ahead
Would you benefit from having a two-day, two-night guided retreat to give you an opportunity to connect with others through worship together, take an honest look at how you’re doing, and also learn about creating a Rule of Life and Learning Plan for focusing your plan for growth?
For Your Life: Giving Your Soul Time and Means to Grow is a retreat for clergy, led by Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford and Rev. Dr. Shelly Petz, to help you create space to work on a plan for learning and formation for the year ahead. It includes time for honest reflection, introduces you to a template for growth in the year ahead, and helps you identify next steps in your individual development. You will have time to worship, space to spend time in solo reflection, and/or connection with others. The retreat will be held at Heartland Spirituality Center in Great Bend, Kansas, with a check-in at 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 with rest for your time away. We will wrap up by 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27.
The cost to participate is $50 and includes two nights of lodging, meals and a retreat notebook. Scholarships are available upon request. The deadline for registering is Thursday, Sept. 8.
To register and for more information, check out the website, www.greatplainsumc.org/foryourlife or email Ashlee Alley Crawford at aalleycrawford@greatplainsumc.org. (If this time doesn’t work for you, but you’re interested in creating this space, you can register for a self-directed retreat! Learn more here.)
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Equipping Disciples
Eleven youth join first
rounds of Leadership Lab
Eleven high-schoolers in the Great Plains Conference have applied and been accepted for the first Leadership Lab, learning qualities of discipleship and leadership.
“We have high-school leaders who are passionate about discipleship, passionate about growing in leadership,” said the Rev. Melissa Collier Gepford, intergenerational discipleship coordinator.
Seventeen of the attributes of great disciples and great leaders were recently developed by the conference cabinet and have been turned into “quests” for Leadership Lab, along with three other qualities.
“They get to choose which quest or attributes they learn about and put into action in whatever order they want,” Gepford said. “It’s a choose-your-own-adventure approach to leadership development. They get to decide how long it takes them to do this, they get to decide who their mentor is as they pursue each of these different qualities that make up a great leader and a great disciple.”
Each quest is expected to take about three months, Gepford said, including learning about the qualities, living them out, and creating a leadership component to help explain them.
Those who complete 10 quests are eligible for a trip to the Holy Land, scheduled for 2024, Gepford said, along with their adult mentors.
Leadership Lab is the evolution of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries, Gepford said. The CCYM had its strengths in organizing events, but “through the pandemic, they realized there was more to leadership than that.”
New applications will be taken year-round, Gepford said.
Nine of the 11 youth are new to conference-wide youth ministries, she added.
Gepford said she was pleased with the first number of high schoolers, and said she didn’t have any projections about early adapters.
“I’m resistant to naming a number goal. I think the pandemic really challenged the notion of numbers as success,” she said. “What we’re doing is growing leaders and disciples. The goal is not numbers, it’s depth.”
Find out more here.
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Grants available to help
strengthen the ethnic local church
Discipleship Ministries is offering the Racial Ethnic Local Church Concerns (RELCC) Grant, which provides funding to support the ethnic local church through leadership training, small groups, worship, stewardship, and spiritual formation as it engages in developing disciple-making systems inside the church walls and in the community.
Applications are due Sept. 10.
Two grants per jurisdiction, of up to $10,000 each, are available. Please click the link below to see eligibility criteria and apply.
Priority will be given to new programs/ministries that move churches to places where disciples are formed, grow, and make new disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world.
Apply here.
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How do you #BeUMC?
Tell us in your own video
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#BeUMC honors the core values that connect the people of The United Methodist Church. No matter the challenges we face, God is with us, and we continue to have opportunities to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!
The campaign calls us to embrace our Wesleyan heritage and envision a promising future. Every day offers a chance to live into our mission and to strive to #BeUMC — to be the church our communities so desperately need. This grassroots effort, built upon powerful stories of congregations and people living their faith, celebrates what draws us to The United Methodist Church and what we aspire to be.
The Great Plains Conference has a new webpage, www.greatplainsumc.org/beumc, to celebrate how we are living out our promise to be the church.
It's easy to send us your video!
- Go to https://greatplainsumc.wetransfer.com.
- Click on the "agreement" window at the left, which will reveal a window for you to complete your upload.
- Type in your email address and a title (your name and city would be preferred). You can add a message if you like.
- Click the "+" sign, and that will allow you to upload your video from your computer, phone or tablet.
- Then, as you come across disciples in action involving your church, share their stories on social media by using the #BeUMC hashtag.
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Mercy & Justice
Churches, individuals seeking
to do justice can 'Partner Up'
Looking for new ways to share God’s love this fall? Maybe now is the time to consider or expand justice work at your church.
Imagine this: your mission team, your church council, or another small group prayerfully considers the passions of your congregation. With your church context in mind, together you research and select a partner (an organization, coalition, or network) who can provide opportunities for action. You create a plan for how to invite your entire church to participate as opportunities arise to attend webinars and learning events, to call and email legislators, or to attend lobby days or rallies. You find ways to track your congregation’s participation along the way, so you can build momentum and celebrate each faithful step you take to answer God’s call to make a difference together.
Here is a list of partners your church or your network might want to connect with. Look up their websites, check out their social media to see what they have been up to lately, and open yourself up to what amazing work of justice the Holy Spirit might have in mind for you.
And don’t forget, you can apply for social justice seed money grants through the Conference as you work to build ministries to transform the world! Click here to apply: https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/SocialJusticeSeedMoneyGrantApplication
--Rev. Sarah Marsh, Mercy and Justice Coordinator
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Disaster Response
UMCOR in need of cleaning kits;
buckets will be collected at meetings
We received a request from UMCOR for Cleaning Kits to help replenish the stock. Directions for putting together the kit can be found at: https://umcmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Cleaning-Kit-Assembly-Instructions_September-2019.pdf
Please have your kits ready so your clergy can bring them to their upcoming district meetings with Bishop Saenz. There will be a member of the Conference Disaster Response Team available to collect the kits at this meeting. Thank you!
--Rev. Hollie Tapley, disaster response coordinator
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NAMI conference
scheduled for Aug. 26-27
The Pathways to Hope conference, part of NAMI FaithNet, is a chance for communities to build their own grassroots movement to help engage faith communities, mental health providers, NAMI members, and other community partners in building sustainable coalitions in support of people living with mental health conditions.
The conference will be held Aug. 26-27, hosted by 17 national state organizations and national affiliates across the country. Here is the agenda for the Kansas conference.
Attendees will enjoy a mix of nationally produced plenary sessions in the mornings and locally developed workshops in the afternoons. Attendees can register to view the nationally produced plenary sessions or attend in-person, virtual or hybrid events with one of the participating affiliates.
This conference is designed to bring people together from across communities to reduce the stigma of mental illness; activate and engage communities at the grassroots level to provide support for individuals impacted by mental health issues; and help them find local resources for better mental health care.
Conference workshops are organized around five tracks: Mental Health, Peer Support, Therapy & Counseling, Faith & Community and Youth. Good mental health means supporting the physical, mental, spiritual and relational aspects of a person’s life.
There are two ways to register: through NAMI Kansas or by viewing only the morning sessions through NAMI National.
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Administration
Kansas, Nebraska foundations host
free webinar on budgeting, staffing
From 10-11:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 25, join Lovett Weems and Ann Michel of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary as they present “Budgeting and Staffing for the New Year.” During the webinar, they will share staffing benchmarks, indicators you are overstaffed, and how to plan your budget as we come out of the pandemic with new ministry areas.
Dr. Lovett H. Weems Jr. is a distinguished professor of church leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary and senior consultant to Wesley’s Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Dr. Ann A. Michel has served on the staff of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership since 2005. She teaches at Wesley Theological Seminary in the areas of stewardship and leadership. They are authors of a new book, “Generosity, Stewardship, and Abundance: A Transformational Guide to Church Finances.”
All clergy and laity are welcome to attend the webinar at no cost. Please note the conversation on staffing will not be recorded. You must attend the live webinar.
Register today to receive the Zoom link for the webinar. Kansas clergy and laity click here to register. Nebraska clergy and laity click here to register.
The webinar is co-hosted by the Kansas Methodist Foundation and the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation. For questions, please contact the Kansas Methodist Foundation at info@KansasMethodistFoundation.org or the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation at info@numf.org.
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Applications for Kansas foundation
discipleship grants are due Sept. 1
The Kansas Methodist Foundation is offering Pathways for Discipleship Grants to Kansas churches and organizations in four key areas of ministry: Justice Ministries, Children and Youth Programs, Ministry and Outreach, and Leadership Education. Grant applications are due to the KMF office by Sept. 1.
The matching grants are awarded to churches and organizations across Kansas to advance ministries, especially in ways that are creative, innovative, and new. For more information and to apply for a grant, visit kansasmethodistfoundation.org.
The Kansas Methodist Foundation is grateful for the individuals and families who help make the ministry grants possible. If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved in supporting ministries across Kansas to meet the needs of our changing world by exploring new possibilities, contact Tyler Curtis at tyler@kansasmethodistfoundation.org or 620-664-9623.
If you have any questions, please contact KMF at info@kansasmethodistfoundation.org or 620-664-9623.
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Nebraska Foundation ministry
grant applications are due Sept. 30
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation is pleased to announce a ministry grant opportunity available to Nebraska churches and affiliated agencies of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference.
The Foundation is able to award these grants due to the generosity of donors to the Gifts from the Heart Endowment Fund. These grant dollars are available to enhance and expand your ministries. The ultimate goal of these awards is to provide assistance, both for new ministries and thriving ministries wishing to grow.
These grants are made for programs and activities and include operating expenses and supplies necessary for those programs or activities. They are not made for building repair, replacement, or expansion.
The application deadline is Sept. 30. For application materials and more information, please visit our website at https://www.numf.org/scholarships-grants.
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, call 877-495-5545.
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Resources
United Media Resource Center
reopens after move to new location
After months of moving and reorganizing, the United Media Resource Center has reopened its offices at a church in Springfield, Illinois.
Find out about the changes that have been made, and how churches and ministries in the Great Plains Conference can access books, DVDs and other material at this link.
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Church of the Resurrection’s
Leadership Institute is Sept. 28-30
The Church of the Resurrection will hold its annual Leadership Institute for clergy and lay ministry leaders Sept. 28-30. Speakers include the Rev. Adam Hamilton, the church's senior pastor; Jo Saxton, leadership coach; and the Rev. Tod Bolsinger, author of "Canoeing the Mountains." Early-bird rates end today.
Learn more and register.
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Across the Connection
In other news
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Newsletters
- UMC Global Ministries-UMCOR, August 2022
- Ministry Matters, August 17, 2022
- Leading Ideas, August 17, 2022
- A Sermon for Every Sunday, August 16, 2022
- Discipleship Ministries: Offertory Prayers
- Discipleship Ministries: Worship Planning, August 15, 2022
- GCFA Collaborator, August 2022
- Equipping Disciples, August 11, 2022
- Great Plains United Men’s Ministry, August 2022
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Commentaries
- Church must think more critically about digital presence: We are in the middle of a seismic shift in technology, particularly digital communication technology, and we don't know how this will affect us as people of faith, writes the Rev. Dr. Wes Magruder (pictured above), an ordained elder in the North Texas Conference who is serving as a Global Ministries missionary. He said the church must think more critically about the technologies that are shaping our lives.
- Step away to a holy place: God invites everyone to pause for contemplative rest. Laura Buchanan, a writer for UMC.org, reflects on where she finds refuge: “Our place, our sanctuary, might not have stained-glass windows, or even walls, but it always has God’s presence. … We can wrestle with the unexplainable, unanswerable and infuriating. And undoubtedly, if we open our hearts, we will discover endless grace.”
- It's time to remove the grave clothes: The slayings of two Black clergywomen show the need for the church to loosen its bonds in order to respond, just as Jesus ordered Lazarus unbound after raising him from the dead. "We are being called to minister differently and connect with young brothers and sisters to help remove what's holding them back from a life of productivity and promise," writes the Rev. Dr. Michael L. Bowie Jr., executive director of Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century.
- One invitation away from returning: Are there folks in your church who got out of the habit of attending during the pandemic and haven’t returned yet? The Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter writes that one sincere, guilt-free invitation might be all that is needed to get them back.
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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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