Download the March 22 edition of GPconnect.

In this edition:

THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Simon-Peter tells Laity Summit about importance of dreaming
Church court rules on General Conference questions
Threats made to Omaha's Urban Abbey over Drag Story Hour
Podcast episode looks at CCLI, how it operates

ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Openings remain for conference committees
March 31 is deadline for submitting legislation for AC2023, June 7-10
Nominations for youth, young adult, person of color reps to AC open

CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Deadline for spring cycle of Culture of Call Grants is April 1
Conference offers internship grants for kids, youth, pastoral ministry

EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Fresh Expressions' Rural Revival Summit is April 21-22
Daily devotions to return April 11; signup available through June 30
Fontanelle’s fall fundraiser scheduled for Sept. 30, Oct. 1
Nominations open for evangelism awards
Ministry innovation grants available from Great Plains Conference

DISASTER RESPONSE 
ERT recertification set for April 22 at Church of the Resurrection
UMCOR’s Sager Brown Depot ready for volunteers

ADMINISTRATION
Virgin Pulse Challenge begins April 1; you'll sing, dance with bishop 
Preparing for Your Future returns to live format April 25-26
April 1 is deadline to apply for Dean, Keitha Thomson Mission Grant 
Nebraska UM Foundation offers New Start/Faith Community Grants
Nebraska UM Foundation revises course of study scholarship program 

RESOURCES
Materials available online for Native American Sunday, April 23
Agriculture is topic of DVDs, books from resource center
Discipleship Ministries offers 8 tips to prevent churches from fraud

ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Wyandotte County churches have prayer vigil to reduce violent crime 
Sutton church hosts Sidewalk Prophets
In other news
Newsletters
Classifieds

 

 

Simon-Peter tells Laity Summit
about importance of dreaming

The importance for Christians to dream was the theme of author Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter's keynote address during Laity Summit on Saturday.

“Jesus was a dreamer, too. He had a big dream – he had a lot of dreams: ‘Love one another as I have loved you,’ ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’” she said. “But he had one big, winner-takes-all, dream: ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.’”

Read more here.

Simon-Peter will be in the Great Plains in person from April 29 to May 4, in connection with her book “Forging a New Path: Moving the Church Forward in a Post-Pandemic World,” appearing in North Platte and Columbus in Nebraska, as well as in Ottawa, McPherson and Hays in Kansas. Register here.

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Church court rules on
General Conference questions

The United Methodist Church’s top court released a decision about the long-delayed General Conference, now set for 2024. The Judicial Council addressed bishops’ questions about how to deal with delegate vacancies and whether another General Conference must be scheduled before 2028.

Decisions were also made regarding proof of COVID vaccines for annual conference members, and violations of fair process procedures in the Congo Central Conference.

Read story from United Methodist News Service.

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Threats made to Omaha's
Urban Abbey over Drag Story Hour

Two separate emailed bomb threats over the weekend related to the Drag Story Hour at Urban Abbey, a United Methodist coffeehouse ministry, are being investigated by Omaha police. 

The text included the home addresses of four Urban Abbey employees, including the Rev. Debra McKnight, the founding pastor. 

A similar threat, apparently from the same person with Russian Cyrillic font disguising a name, was delivered before worship services Sunday. 

Read more here.

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Podcast episode looks
at CCLI, how it operates

CCLI and similar licensing services allow for churches to make song sheets, project lyrics and use other tools to enhance worship. Their efforts support the composers whose work we use while also protecting churches from copyright concerns.

In the latest episode of his podcast “In Layman’s Terms,” communications director Todd Seifert talks with two representatives from CCLI, who explain how they work and what CCLI and other similar organizations do.

Listen and download here.

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Annual Conference

Openings remain for
conference committees

Have you ever wondered how to get on one of the conference committees? Are you passionate about using your creative, financial or organizational expertise to make a difference in the world?

Annual conference is fast approaching and we need people, especially laymen and laywomen, willing to volunteer to serve on our conference committees.

Here are some committees that have openings:

  • Vital Congregations -- laity from small membership churches (under 50 average worship attendance)
  • New Church Development – laymen and laywomen
  • Nominations – layman from western Kansas
  • Personnel – layman from Nebraska
  • Pensions and Health Benefits – laywoman from Nebraska
  • Trustees – Clergy and laity – Kansas lawyer or Realtor; someone with non-profit experience; we especially need racial/ethnic diversity on this committee

You can nominate yourself or someone else online at https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/leadershipnomination.

Once the nomination form is received, the nominee will be emailed a survey to complete. It is important that the nominee completes the entire survey as soon as possible so we can better match nominee’s gifts with the needs of the committees. If you do a self-nomination, you will also need to complete the survey.

If you have questions about nominations, contact the nominations chair Esther Hay at esther.hay@windstream.net.

Thank you in advance for helping us with this important work!

-- Great Plains Nominations Committee

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March 31 is deadline for submitting legislation for AC2023, June 7-10

For the purposes of the Great Plains Annual Conference, a resolution asks the Annual Conference to take a stand on a particular issue or to direct a body within the Conference to consider a specific action. A petition is passed on for consideration at General Conference, which takes place in May 2024.

Resolutions and petitions for consideration by the conference must originate from an individual or entity within the Great Plains Annual Conference. These may include, but are not limited to: congregations, groups within a congregation; individuals (both lay and clergy), district organizations, or conference boards and committees.  
 
Any action item to be considered by the conference must be presented as legislation. Action items referenced in committee reports will not be acted upon unless properly submitted as legislation before the conference.  
 
To be included in the conference workbook, resolutions and petitions must be submitted by March 31, 2023. Any items for action received after the deadline may be published on the conference website in a Workbook Addendum, subject to approval of the action team by the Sessions Planning Team. The Workbook Addendum shall be published at least one week prior to the opening of the Annual Conference Session, and these items must be received by the conference secretary no later than 21 days prior to the opening of the Annual Conference session. Any item submitted after 21 days prior to the Annual Conference session shall be prepared and distributed by the sponsoring person or agency at their own expense, following the procedure outlined in the Standing Rules of the conference.

Items should be submitted to the conference secretary at gpsecretary@greatplainsumc.org.

A guide to formatting resolutions may be found here. 

-- Lori Richey
Conference secretary

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Nominations for youth, young adult,
person of color reps to AC now open

Nominations for district lay representatives to Annual Conference are open now! Each district can elect three youth (12-18), two young adults (18-30), and one person of color (must be at least 12) to vote on behalf of their constituencies in their districts. To nominate, fill out the forms below:

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Clergy Excellence

Deadline for spring cycle of
Culture of Call Grants is April 1

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 74 grants totaling over $117,000. You can learn more about what it means to have a culture of call, watch a recording of a webinar, read some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and work through two planning documents to help you write your grant and find the application here: www.greatplainsumc.org/cocgrant

You can read about past grants here: https://www.greatplainsumc.org/cultureofcallresources.
 
2023 Deadlines

  • April 1 — Early Deadline, awards announced April 22.
  • April 28 — Distribution of funds
  • Sept. 15 — Late deadline, awards announced Oct. 6
  • Oct. 13 — Distribution of funds

Questions? Contact Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford, aalleycrawford@greatplainsumc.org, 785-414-4216

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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?

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Equipping Disciples

Fresh Expressions' Rural
Revival Summit is April 21-22

Small-town churches can’t escape the genuine and painful problems that face rural North America.

At the same time, many Jesus followers across rural regions are uncovering exciting possibilities as they explore creative and practical approaches to loving their neighbors. Fresh Expressions is putting on a unique training experience tailored to the needs of rural church leaders this coming April 21-22.

Rural Revival Summit is a two-day digital event that will introduce you to other ministry leaders serving in small-town and rural contexts to provide examples and inspiration for being the Church and addressing the needs within your community. This is a unique opportunity for Rural Church Leaders to explore new ways of being church, for and with people who have no church.

The Great Plains Conference has been given a code GPUMC10 to get discounted tickets. Sign up for this unique event today at FreshExpressions.com/ruralrevivalsummit.

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Daily devotions to return April 11;
signup available through June 30

After our special series of devotions during the Lenten season concludes, we will return to our previous format of devotions written by the clergy and laity of the Great Plains.

But we can't do it without you.

A new signup is available for devotions that will appear Tuesdays through Fridays, from April 11 to June 30. Sign up and find more information here.

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Fontanelle’s fall fundraiser
scheduled for Sept. 30, Oct. 1

Since 1959, Camp Fontanelle has held a fall fundraiser. It grew in its offering when the corn maze was opened, when the GaGa Tournament was added and much, much more.

Camp Fontanelle is excited to announce a new look for the fall annual fundraiser. At a recent committee meeting, it was decided that a whole weekend would be focused on fundraising, getting more of the public involved, while still keeping it all about Camp Fontanelle!

Mark your calendar for the weekend of Sept. 29. There will be activities and giving opportunities on Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1. This allows people to choose from two days to come out and support the ministry at Camp Fontanelle.

Look for information, in the future, on the exciting things planned as the discussion moves to action and implementation. Make sure to mark your calendars to be out at Camp Fontanelle. Share the dates with friends and family; help get the word out!

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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.

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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.

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Disaster Response

ERT recertification set for April 22
at Church of the Resurrection

Storm season for our area will be here soon. ERTS (Early Response Team), check your ERT expiration date on your badge. Our next ERT Recertification Training will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Church of the Resurrection. For more information and to register here is the link: https://www.greatplainsumc.org/eventdetail/17357796.

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UMCOR’s Sager Brown
Depot ready for volunteers

UMCOR Sager Brown Depot, in Baldwin, Louisiana, where thousands of volunteers have assembled relief supply kits, is open again and seeking volunteers after COVID-19 shut it down for an extended period.

“Assembling a relief kit is one of the special ways people show their support for UMCOR,” said Roland Fernandes, top executive of United Methodist Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Read press release
More information

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Administration

Virgin Pulse Challenge begins April 1; you'll sing, dance with Bishop Wilson

Music of the World is this year’s Virgin Pulse Challenge, beginning April 1.

Nothing gets us moving – truly moving – like music. We may listen to our favorite songs at work or at home but imagine what it’s like to experience it live. A samba in Rio, a waltz in Vienna. Even a singalong with the best country singers in Nashville. This musical journey will take you all over the world in search of music’s coolest venues and most fascinating histories. Turn it up, and let’s get moving!

Challenge Rules
2023 Annual Conference Challenge. Walk your way to explore music around the world. The winning team will join Bishop Wilson in sharing their cultural song and dance.

  • This challenge starts on at midnight local time April and ends at 11:59 p.m. local time May 13.
  • The last chance to upload your steps is 11:59 p.m. local time May 15. Steps uploaded after this date won’t be counted in the final results. Try uploading daily — it’s more fun!
Scores
  • Team scores are based on total team steps.
  • The more steps your team gets, the better your score.
  • To contribute to your team score, upload steps from a fitness tracker or app.
  • You can get credit for a maximum of 30,000 steps per day (so aim high)!
  • The team with the most steps at the end of the challenge wins.
Destinations
  • As you go, try to unlock each destination with your team.
  • If you unlock all the destinations before the challenge ends, keep walking. Another team could still pass you on the Challenge Leaderboard. 
Good to Know
  • If you leave the challenge, you have until 11:59 p.m. local time March 31 to rejoin. If you don’t rejoin by this date, you won’t be able to participate in this challenge.
  • Participant names and step counts may be shared with other challenge participants and administrators.
  • You have up to 14 days to go back and enter steps prior to the upload deadline. Skip the heartache—join before the challenge starts and track daily!

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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.

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April 1 is deadline to apply for
Dean, Keitha Thomson Mission Grant 

The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation announces a new mission grant opportunity available to a member of a United Methodist church or a member of a recently disaffiliated UM church who is in need of financial assistance for a mission trip. This grant, awarded annually, is made possible through an endowment fund established by Dr. Dean and Keitha Thomson.

Mission trips may be located locally, nationally or internationally with a focus on global health, including but not limited to medical needs, or disaster and recovery efforts. The mission trip work must be considered to be of a beneficial nature to the larger community and an integral part of a long-range plan for growth and outreach.

The application deadline is April 1. To apply for the Dean and Keitha Thomson Mission Grant, visit https://www.numf.org/scholarships-grants. 

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Nebraska UM Foundation offers
New Start/Faith Community Grants

The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation announces a new church development grant opportunity available to Nebraska churches and affiliated Nebraska agencies of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference.

Due to the generosity of donors supporting congregational development, the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation has grants available to enhance and support your new church development. The ultimate goal of these awards is to alleviate part of the financial burden. 

Grant applicants should be aware that priority will be given to the following: 

  • A New Start that is recognized by Congregational Excellence as a New Start/New Faith Community. 
  • A New Start deemed to be of an outreach and beneficial nature to the larger community. 
  • A New Start that is in collaboration with other United Methodist entities. 
  • A New Start that has identified other sources of revenue. 
  • A New Start that is an integral part of a long-range plan for growth and outreach. 

Grants will be awarded on an annual basis. Applications must be postmarked by April 1 to be considered.

For more information on New Start/New Faith grants, visit https://www.numf.org/scholarships-grants. 
 
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation would like to acknowledge the generous gifts donors have made to make these grants and scholarships possible. If you have questions about any of the scholarships and grants available or if you 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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Nebraska UM Foundation revises course of study scholarship program 

The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation announces that course of study scholarships will be made available for licensed local pastors who desire to continue their education in church leadership on a reimbursement basis. Those applicants must be a certified candidate and either a member of a Nebraska United Methodist Church or a member of a recently disaffiliated Nebraska United Methodist Church.

For more information on course of study scholarships, visit https://www.numf.org/scholarships-grants.

The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation would like to acknowledge the generous gifts donors have made to make these scholarships possible. If you have questions about any of the scholarships available or if you would like to talk to the Foundation about how you can help grow these types of scholarships, call 877-495-5545. 

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Resources

Materials available online for
Native American Sunday, April 23

The 2023 Special Sunday Kit provides a full package of ready to use resources to help your church celebrate Native American Ministries Special Sunday and define how we give, why we give and the impact we make through connectional efforts.

All resources are available in digital format and we encourage you to use them in the best format that works for your church. For suggestions on how to use the material, check out the How to Guide or for those who value a schedule, the planning calendar is the perfect way to consolidate all the opportunities. This year, the official date for Native American Ministries Special Sunday is April 23, but we encourage you to celebrate on a day that works best for your church.

For those who still appreciate print resources, we have a special envelope and pew cards that can be ordered here or you can call 1-800-991-6011 to place an order. The resources are for you to engage in the ministry of Native American Ministries Special Sunday.

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Agriculture is topic of DVDs,
books from resource center

Agriculture is the bread and butter of the Great Plains, and the United Media Resource Center has three DVDs and one book about farming and ministry.

The DVDs are “Nourish: Food + Community,” “Organic Wesley: A Christian Perspective on Food, Farming and Faith” and “Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story.”

A book on the topic is “Harvesting Abundance: Local Initiatives of Food and Faith” by Brian Sellers-Peterson.

Read about them here.

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Discipleship Ministries offers 8
tips to prevent churches from fraud

Eight steps can help churches avoid being the victims of fraud when it comes to their finances. Among the tips are having someone different from the check signer approve invoices for payment, regular financial reports and an annual audit. United Methodist Discipleship Ministries gives the full list.

Read more here.

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Across the Connection

Wyandotte County churches have prayer vigil to reduce violent crime 

Churches United for Justice, a group of Wyandotte County clergy formed as part of the Great Plains Conference's Doing Justice Initiative, held a prayer vigil and a plea for county leaders to support its plan of group violence intervention.

"We have talked to people throughout the community and all of our churches," Rev. Bruce Draper told KSHB. "And violence is a No. 1 issue that keeps people up at night."

Watch video here.

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Sutton church hosts
Sidewalk Prophets

The Christian band Sidewalk Prophets was recently welcomed to Sutton, Nebraska, for a stop on their Songs and Stories tour. The concert was hosted by Sutton Federated Church and held at the local high school theater as part of the church’s ongoing commitment to sharing Christ with their community. The Holy Spirit filled the hearts of sold-out crowd in the theater.
 
Worshippers of all ages sang along to favorites such as “Come to the Table” and “Smile.” Concertgoers were also treated to music from the group’s upcoming album. Church members provided gracious hospitality for the band and tour company by providing shuttle service, security, meals and snacks, handling merchandise sales, and the unloading, set-up and loading of equipment.

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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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