Download the March 8 edition of GPconnect.

In this edition:

THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Summit designed for veterans, laity newcomers
Bishop Williamston installed as episcopal leader in Louisiana 
Topeka superintendent, deacon candidate interviewed on podcast
Bishop: Time to move from rancor to revival
Report sheds light on disaffiliating churches

CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Korean-American pastors invited to CRCC retreat in New Jersey
Conference offers internship grants for kids, youth, pastoral ministry
Continuing education opportunities are available in the year ahead

EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Nominations open for evangelism awards
Lessons from pandemic is subject of Simon-Peter tour
Neighboring Movement is subject of next kid ministry webinar
Ministry innovation grants available from Great Plains Conference

DISASTER RESPONSE 
Does your church have a disaster response plan?
ERT training coming to Hastings on Saturday

ADMINISTRATION
‘Screen Sanity’ is subject of PAUMCS spring workshop
Preparing for Your Future returns to live format April 25-26

RESOURCES
Resources from media center focus on prayer ministry
Webinar coming this Thursday highlights church's hope for future

ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Lincoln church receives ‘cool congregation’ award
Schwartz-Eck discusses Lent with fellow Pratt pastors
Clay presents passion story April 4 at Lyndon
Lincoln church hosts baked potato lunch
In other news
Newsletters
Classifieds

 

Summit designed for
veterans, laity newcomers

Whether you're a veteran laity or wanting to get more involved in your church community, you'll find something at the 2023 Laity Summit.

“You don’t have to be a district leader or a conference leader or on a conference committee or highly engaged to get something out of this,” conference lay leader Lisa Maupin said. “This is specifically designed for the people in the local church who are sitting there in those meetings wondering what new idea they can come up with to enhance some program, or see what resources are out there or just need some inspiration or affirmation.” 

Read more here.
Register.
Look at the workshops.

To Top


Bishop Williamston installed
as episcopal leader in Louisiana 

With a hope for the future and New Orleans flair, Bishop Delores Williamston was installed as the episcopal leader of the Louisiana Conference on Saturday.

“I'm here to tell you, I have been summoned by the Lord sent by the Good Shepherd to be a shepherd of hope for such a time as this,” said the Topeka native and former director of clergy excellence and assistant to the bishop of the Great Plains Conference, elected in November and becoming the first Black female bishop in the South Central Jurisdiction. “There is work to do as disciples of Jesus Christ because the Great Shepherd continues to call on shepherds of hope in these strange and stirring times to offer hope!”

The service concluded with an authentic second line through the aisles of Lawless Chapel at Dillard University, New Orleans.

 To Top


Topeka superintendent, deacon
candidate interviewed on podcast

Across 30 years as a tireless and innovative educator, Tiffany Anderson has achieved a long list of accomplishments. She is the first Black female superintendent in the Topeka Public Schools, was recognized by former President Obama, honored at the Oscars, and is a candidate for ordination as a deacon in The United Methodist Church.

Anderson, who says her career is her ministry, shares where she finds joy, including how living out the gospel for her includes sitting on the floor with a classroom of kindergartners in the latest episode of the “Get Your Spirit in Shape” podcast from United Methodist Communications.

Listen and download here.

To Top


Bishop: Time to move
from rancor to revival

Amid the vitriol about rising church disaffiliations, Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton called people who are staying United Methodist to change the conversation and reclaim God's calling on the church in the midterm State of the Church address.

Read more from United Methodist News Service.
Watch the video.

To Top


Report sheds light on
disaffiliating churches

A new Lewis Center for Church Leadership report finds that churches disaffiliating from The United Methodist Church are overwhelmingly in the South and Southwest. Compared with remaining United Methodist churches, they also are more likely to have a male pastor and a majority white membership. 

Read more from UMNS.

To Top

 

Clergy Excellence

Korean-American pastors invited
to CRCC retreat in New Jersey

Korean-American pastors serving in cross-racial, cross-cultural appointments are invited to a retreat from May 1-5 in Teaneck, New Jersey.

The registration fee is $500, with scholarships of up to $200 available.

Learn more and register here.

To Top


Conference offers internship grants
for kids, youth, pastoral ministry

Do you have a young adult, at least 18 years old, who has the gifts for serving in your church full or part time as an intern in kids, youth, or pastoral ministry this summer? The conference is offering matching internship grants for churches this summer up to $2,000 for the summer. The deadline for all applications is March 30. All decisions will be made by April 15. Check out more information here:
https://www.greatplainsumc.org/matchinggrantinternships.

Our objectives for church matching internship grants are:

  • To help churches identify a young person with gifts for ministry.
  • To support a vibrant and creative summer season of ministry.
  • To connect interns with a learning community of other interns throughout the summer.
Our expectations for the churches applying:
  • Your intern will be paid an hourly rate (at least minimum wage) for up to 40 hours per week. Internship must be a minimum of 10 weeks, running from May 22 to July 30.
  • Mentors will receive onboarding resources and interns will receive a welcome box from the conference.
  • Someone from the church staff will be an assigned supervisor throughout the summer and will meet weekly with the intern for supervision and making space for reflecting on the intern’s summer learning.

Contact Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford to learn more about the Pastoral Leadership internship, aalleycrawford@greatplainsumc.org or 785-414-4216 or Rev. Melissa Gepford to learn more about the kids or Youth internships, mgepford@greatplainsumc.org or 903-806-7989. And if having an intern is new for you and you’d like to learn more about best practices, reach out to Ashlee or Melissa. This could be a life-changing summer for a young adult or for your congregation to nurture the call of an intern. Will you check out the possibilities today?

Do you know a young adult interested in an internship opportunity outside of the local church? Check out the Micah Corps internship opportunities here.

 To Top


Continuing education opportunities
are available in the year ahead

Clergy, don’t forget to check out the Great Plains Clergy Excellence Continuing Education events for the year ahead. They’re affordable, close-by or virtual, and will help you extend your continuing education budget. Some of the deadlines are approaching quickly and all of them have limited capacity. There are scholarships available for some of the retreats upon request.

To Top

 

Equipping Disciples

Nominations open for
evangelism awards

Each year The Foundation for Evangelism works with annual conferences to offer the Denman Evangelism Award to three recipients: one clergy, one laity and one youth. 

This is a meaningful way to honor and thank people who demonstrate evangelistic passion to reach others for Christ. Awards are presented at Annual Conference sessions. Nominations for the 2023 awards are due by May 1. Instructions and guidelines are on the form below:
Download the 2023 Nomination Form and specify whether you are nominating clergy, laity or youth.

Nomination forms in the Great Plains should be submitted to the Rev. Jeff Clinger, director of congregational excellence, at jclinger@greatplainsumc.org.

To Top


Lessons from pandemic
is subject of Simon-Peter tour

The congregational excellence team and Rebekah Simon-Peter, author of the book “Lessons from Pandemics Past,” invite you to join us for a regional book tour in April and May.
 
Simon-Peter has written a rich book on how we can get our disciple-making juices flowing again.
  
If we, as people of faith are engaging in post pandemic behavior like what is mentioned here, just think of all those individuals we are not reaching and bringing into our congregation to learn about Jesus and His grace.  
 
Come, get off your couch and join us! Registration: https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/LessonsFromPandemicsPast 

  • Saturday, April 29, 11 a.m. – North Platte  
  • Sunday, April 30, 3 p.m. – Columbus, Nebraska 
  • Tuesday, May 2, 7 p.m. – Ottawa First UMC 
  • Wednesday, May 3, 2 p.m. – McPherson -- Join live: https://www.greatplainsumc.org/livestream 
  • Thursday, May 4, 7 p.m. – Hays  

Coming next week: An interview with Rebekah Simon-Peter, in advance of her Laity Summit and book tour appearances.

 To Top


Neighboring Movement is
subject of next kid ministry webinar

“Children’s Ministry and the Neighboring Movement” will be the subject of a Zoom webinar from 9-10:30 a.m. CT Saturday, March 25.

We all want to reach the kids not only in our church, but in our entire community! That's why we work hard to host VBSs and other special events. But what if your spring or summer included something brand new this year?

How can we be sure that the kids in our neighborhoods have a community of support of their own? Whether we are volunteers, part time staff, or working full time in Children's Ministry, we know that you have a passion for all the kids in your church AND the kids in your local community.

"Children's Ministry and the Neighboring Movement" is a 90-minute opportunity to explore the idea of how to introduce authentic gifts-focused community right in your own neighborhood. Join our Children's Ministry Regional Coordinators and special guests from the Neighboring Movement for a morning of learning, connecting, and collaborating.

Register here in advance and receive a care package.

To Top


Ministry innovation grants available
from Great Plains Conference

The New Church Development Board of the Great Plains Conference is offering grants to congregations interested in doing new things to reach new people in new places and ways. Grants are available in a variety of categories. Applications are due April 1. You can learn more about the opportunities and apply here: https://www.greatplainsumc.org/newchurchdevelopment.

To Top

 

Disaster Response

Does your church have
a disaster response plan?

Clergy and local church leaders – it’s Saturday night and you hear the local tornado siren go off and your weather apps are blaring at you.

Quickly you turn on the TV to see the local weather person yelling “get to shelter NOW!” Your city is right in the center of the cone – at this point all you can do is pray and hope. When law enforcement gives the “all is OK,” you venture out and wander around your home, to notice it’s mostly gone. Because you had a family disaster plan, each of you knew what to do and where to go in a time of potential disaster. Great job family!!

And then a sudden thought jumps in your mind: “Our house of worship.” Tomorrow is Sunday, Easter Sunday, and it’s going to be a high and holy day of worship! We have seven new families joining, 20 more from the adult confirmation class, and 35 from the youth confirmation class. As you are walking down the street towards the house of worship, where from several blocks back you once could see the cross on top – you realize it is gone. As you walk closer to the facilities tears begin to fill your eyes as you arrive to find nothing but the foundation left. Others from the congregation begin to join you. People are wandering around picking up some items left behind or from a neighbor down the street. 

You feel the tug on your pants leg. Your eyes meet those of one of the 4-year-olds. As she looks you in the eye, she asks “where are we going to have church – tomorrow is Easter – I’ve got a new yellow dress – I thought we would be coming to church.” You kneel to be able to look her in the eyes, and you say “we are having church tomorrow!” You see, several months ago a task force of individuals who worship here put together a disaster preparation plan for our house of worship, and church doesn’t stop just because of a disaster. “In our plan, we worked out an agreement with the Episcopal Church down the street to where if something happened to our building, we could use their building. Their pastor had just walked away right before you got here, and their building is still usable, even with some minor damage. They are going to have their worship at 9:30 a.m., and we will have our service at 11 a.m.” “One always needs a plan ...”

Does your house of worship have a plan? If not, your disaster response ministry has a sample for you to use to build your own unique, contextual plan. Just click here to see it.

Call our conference disaster response coordinator at any time for help to build your plan: 785-414-4227 or htapley@greatplainsumc.org.

-- Rev. Hollie Tapley, disaster response coordinator

 To Top


ERT training coming
to Hastings on Saturday

The next Early Response Team (ERT) training will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at Hastings Grace UMC.

You can register here: https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/ERTHastings3112023.

We would love to have you join our family. Must be 18 years or older and able to respond when a disaster happens.

To Top

 

Administration

‘Screen Sanity’ is subject of
PAUMCS spring workshop

Editor's note: A previous version of this story included an incorrect location.

“Screen Sanity” is the topic for the Great Plains PAUMCS, or Professional Administrators of the United Methodist Connectional Structure, spring workshop, March 28-29 at Salina Grand Avenue UMC.

Here’s the registration form for the workshop.

A membership form is available here. For more information, email greatplainspaumcs@gmail.com.

To Top


Preparing for Your Future
returns to live format April 25-26

Preparing for Your Future, an informational meeting for clergy and their spouses, will return to a live format, April 25-26 at Salina Trinity UMC.

The morning session April 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is for clergy not planning to retire in the next five years. They will gain prospective on planning for retirement, financial wellness, and dissolving debt during the three-hour presentation.

The afternoon session, from 2-5 p.m., is for clergy planning to retire from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2028 and will include sessions on estate planning, Social Security, and retirement and Medicare.

The April 26 presentation, from 9-11 a.m., will be on pension and making retirement selections.

Lunch and dinner will be provided April 25. Hotel accommodations for the night of April 25 will be provided by the board of pensions. Breakfast will be provided by the hotel at no cost on April 26.

More information and registration are available here.

To Top

 

Resources

Resources from media
center focus on prayer ministry

Prayer ministry is the topic of several items available from United Media Resource Center.

They include the DVD “When God’s People Pray: Six Sessions on the Transforming Power of Prayer” by Jim Cymbala; and the books “Acts 29: Fifty Days of Prayer to Invite the Holy Spirit” by Terry Teykl, “House of Prayer: The Power of Praying in Community” by Thomas Steagald, and “The Caring Congregation: How to Become One and Why It Matters” by the Rev. Karen Lampe, founder of The Caring Congregation and retired pastor at Church of the Resurrection.

See those and more here.

To Top


Webinar coming this Thursday
highlights church's hope for future

The North Carolina Conference’s Center for Leadership Excellence will host a webinar on utilizing The United Methodist Church’s challenges as a catalyst for joining Christ in mission. Retired Bishop Will Willimon will lead “Don’t Look Back: United Methodist Hope for the Future,” a webinar aimed at laity, from 6-7 p.m. CT Thursday, March 9.

To learn more and register.

To Top


 

Across the Connection

Lincoln church receives
‘cool congregation’ award

Lincoln Saint Paul United Methodist Church is one of the 18 national Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) 2023 Cool Congregations Challenge awarded a $500 runner-up award. The annual contest accepts applications from religious congregations around the United States who are doing work to address global warming by reducing their carbon footprint as they create models of sustainability within their communities.

Winners were selected from 150 entries across six categories: Community Inspiration, Cool Planner, Electric Vehicle Leader, Energy Saver, Renewable Role Model, and Sacred Grounds Steward. Together they are preventing 1300 tons of carbon emissions annually.

Saint Paul United Methodist Church won a Sacred Grounds award for initiating a “God’s Tree-mendous Creation” campaign to plant and care for native trees in their city. They worked with the city to identify locations, raised the funds to plant 38 trees, worked with a volunteer Master Tree Planter, and recruited volunteers to care for each tree.

“Saint Paul United Methodist Church and the other national winning congregations are casting a vision for the kind of world in which they want to live, and then carrying out that vision with practical actions that make a real difference in creating lasting solutions to climate change,” said Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light.

The Cool Congregations Challenge shows that people of faith are united by concerns about climate change and are taking action. The winners provide strong moral role models for their communities, and their activities have a ripple effect with people in their own homes.

To Top


Schwartz-Eck discusses
Lent with fellow Pratt pastors

Lent is not just about giving something up, Rev. Nicole Schwartz-Eck told members of the Pratt Ministerial Alliance.

“We should fast or give up something that will help us strengthen our relationship with God,” Schwartz-Eck said. “Don’t get me wrong, it is still good to give up extra portions or drinking soda because it leads to better health, but the real meaning of Lent is to remember the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf and claim the love of God as our own.”

Read more from the Pratt Tribune.

 To Top


Clay presents passion
story April 4 at Lyndon

Phillip Johnson Clay will present “The Passion Story Through Word and Song” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, at Lyndon UMC.

It will be preceded by a dinner of beef and noodles over mashed potatoes from 5:45-6:15 p.m.

 To Top


Lincoln church hosts
baked potato lunch

Lincoln Aldersgate UMC will serve baked potatoes at 12:15 p.m. Sunday, March 19, in the Sunshine Room of the church, 8320 South St.
Various toppings and desserts will be available.

Free-will donations will go to the church’s general budget.

To Top


In other news

 To Top


Newsletters 

 To Top


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.

 To Top

 
 
 
Facebook Twitter Instagram Subscribe Submit story Website

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