Download the printable version of the July 12 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
‘Connect Events’ bring youth to summer camps for a day
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
‘Right Start’ helps new, returning pastors
Two continuing education, development programs available
GP clergy recruitment, development leader writes to 'seasoned' pastors
Online master’s program in Wesleyan youth ministry now enrolling
Board of Ordained Ministry revises scholarship policies
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Nebraska United Methodist Foundation offering ministry grants
Scholarship, grant opportunities available from Council of Bishops
MERCY & JUSTICE
Sanctuary training taught in Omaha thanks to seed money
Micah Corps learns about Korean history, heritage
Washington, D.C., church services inspire Micah Corps members
Micah Corps interns pictured in New York Times article
Event looks at church’s role in politically, racially divided nation
ADMINISTRATION
Online church historian school available this fall
Are your business cards up to date?
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Blessing box has arrived at Cunningham, Kansas, UMC
Wichita pastors included in newspaper story on robes
In Other News
Newsletters
Blogs and Opinion
Classifieds
‘Connect Events’ bring youth
to summer camps for a day
The first “Connect Events,” designed to help the youth of the Great Plains Conference connect with others, with God and with nature in our camps, have been scheduled for August.
Shane Hinderliter, conference youth ministry coordinator, said Camp Fontanelle has had a similar event for two years and Camp Comeca had its first gathering last year, but this is the first time for this many camps.
The day, Hinderliter said, will include worship, fellowship and fun camp activities. Opening and closing worship will be planned by the local district councils on youth ministries. All events begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5:30 p.m. Registration is $20 per person and includes all activities, lunch, and dinner.
The Connect Events scheduled are:
- Aug. 19, Camp Comeca (Gateway, Great West, Hays and Prairie Rivers districts) Activities include swimming, waterfront activities, prairie surfing and a rock wall.
- Aug. 19, Camp Fontanelle (Blue River, Elkhorn Valley, and Missouri River Districts) Activities include laser tag, zip line, jumping pillows and a petting barn.
- Aug. 26, Camp Horizon (Dodge City, Hutchinson, Parsons, Salina, Wichita East and West districts) Activities include zip line, water activities, nine-square and human foosball.
- Aug. 26, Camp Chippewa (Five Rivers, Flint Hills, Kansas City, and Topeka Districts) Activities include a swimming pool, challenge course, horse-drawn wagon rides and a corn maze.
Click here to register online. If you have any questions, email Hinderliter.
To Top
Clergy Excellence
‘Right Start’ helps
new, returning pastors
The Great Plains Conference staff wants to help new pastors and those new to the conference get the right start serving and ministering to a church.
“Right Start: Orientation to the Great Plains” is designed to help them learn more about the conference and individual responsibilities.
Those invited are:
• In their first-ever appointment
• Returning to pastoral leadership from a leave or other ministry and this is the first year serving in the Great Plains Conference
• Joining the conference from another United Methodist conference or other denomination
• Assigned as a Certified Lay Minister or District Superintendent Assignment
Among the topics covered are: how to find information on the conference website; Vital Signs reporting; upcoming events for clergy and congregations; conference reports and church conference; income tax information; church property questions; pension benefits and health insurance.
Attendance is critical, the expectation of the district superintendents and the bishop is for all who qualify to attend one of the Right Start events.
The orientations are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in four locations:
• July 26, Trinity Heights, 1200 Boyd Ave., Newton, Kansas
• July 27, First UMC, 600 SW Topeka Blvd., Topeka
• Aug 7, First UMC, 714 N Beech St., Wahoo, Nebraska
• Aug 8, First UMC, 1600 W E St., North Platte, Nebraska
Laptop and tablets are encouraged as participants will be directed to locations on websites. It is important to register for the Right Start orientation.
Those with questions can talk to their district superintendent, or the Rev. Nancy Lambert at 402-464-5994, Ext. 126, or email nlambert@greatplainsumc.org.
To Top
Two continuing education,
development programs available
There are two opportunities for continuing education and development that I want to share with you:
• Clergy Community of Practice groups (CCOP) are being formed across the conference. Several groups have been meeting for one or two years, and I would like to extend the invitation to you to join a CCOP group. Since you may be asking what a CCOP group looks like, I have attached a document with further information about these groups. In a nutshell, CCOP is a covenant group led by a trained facilitator who directs the learning. CCOP groups help hold one another accountable and encourage lifelong learning. Research has shown that this type of peer-learning group leads to more vibrant, healthy and effective ministry. We have several facilitators who are not yet leading a group, and are excited about leading a group of clergy for fruitful and effective ministry. The second document attached will allow you to indicate your interest in joining a group. You can complete and return to me by email or the postal service by July 28 so that groups can be formed for the fall. We may not be able to accommodate everyone immediately, but more facilitators will be trained as needed. As indicated in the second document, the cost to participate is $75 per year. Once you are matched with a facilitator, sometime in August, you will be sent the link for the online registration at which time you will be given the option to pay be credit card or check.
• Great Preaching for the Great Plains will be a new format this year. Two preaching peer groups will be forming this fall, directed by the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence. Each group will be convened by pastors in our conference and will meet (independently) 10 -12 times through the year. Participants will need to read and study books, preach sermons in their group, and commit to showing up for the sessions. You can indicate your interest in joining one of these preaching groups by notifying your district superintendent or myself by July 28. Your invitation to participate will come from the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence. The cost to participate will be $300, plus the purchase of the required books. If you have questions, you can contact me by email at nlambert@greatplainsumc.org or by phone at 402-464-5994, Ext. 126.
-- Rev. Nancy Lambert, director of clergy excellence
To Top
GP clergy recruitment, development leader writes to 'seasoned' pastors
The Rev. Ashlee Alley, clergy recruitment and development coordinator for the Great Plains Conference, has a few words for veteran pastors working with new colleagues who are recent seminary graduates and/or millennials: Learn from them, don't judge them, and don't make any assumptions.
Those and other advice appear in a column on the website Seedbed.com. Read Alley's essay here.
To Top
Online master’s program in
Wesleyan youth ministry now enrolling
A master’s degree or certification in Wesleyan youth ministry will be available beginning this fall from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. Learn practical, applicable theology from top United Methodist scholars alongside other youth workers from around the country. Courses will help plan confirmation classes, UMYF lessons and mission trips that are theologically sound while giving participants the tools needed to counsel and lead youth like never before. No travel is required for this degree – all of the master’s-level courses are entirely online. Apply and start the program at any time, but fall 2017 courses start Aug. 14 and are a great place to begin. The program’s academic adviser can guide prospective students through the application and acceptance process. Learn more and apply here, or email masm@sckans.edu.
To Top
Board of Ordained Ministry
revises scholarship policies
At its May meeting, the Great Plains Board of Ordained Ministry revised its scholarship policies, including implementing new awards from combined trust funds for our legacy conferences. The board is responsible for making awards for seminary students from two different sources.
The first is the Ministerial Educational Fund (MEF). According to the United Methodist Church, “The Ministerial Education Fund is one of seven apportioned funds of The United Methodist Church. The Ministerial Education Fund is at the heart of preparing people for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The Ministerial Education Fund enables the church to increase financial support for recruiting and educating ordained and diaconal ministers and equipping annual conferences to meet increased demands. Of the total money raised in each annual conference, the annual conference retains 25 percent to use in its program of ministerial education as approved by the annual conference and administered through its Board of Ordained Ministry.”
Each year, through mission shares faithfully paid by churches across the conference, the board has designated $110,000 per year of MEF funds for seminary scholarships. These scholarships are designated for certified candidates for ordained ministry or provisional members (elder or deacon track) who are attending seminaries approved by the United Methodist Church. Starting this year, these scholarships are going to be awarded on per-semester-credit-hour basis and are expected to range from $200 to $3,000 per semester. The amount is set each year by the board based on available funds and number of applications and is subject to change.
This year, the board is also implementing awards for a combined trust fund that was created out of several trusts for seminary students in the former Kansas East, Kansas West and Nebraska conferences. Some of these individual trusts had different restrictions and were generally smaller and often had gone unused. In 2016, conference leaders undertook legal action to consolidate these trusts and to reform the restrictions that made these trusts difficult to award. As a result, a new Great Plains Seminary Scholarship Trust was created. Its only restriction is that scholarships must be given to “United Methodist seminary students located in the Great Plains Annual Conference … who are attending a seminary approved by the United Methodist Church.”
At its May meeting, the board approved a recommendation from its Call Team that scholarships from this new trust be available to any person that meets the criteria listed in the trust. As a result, in addition to supplementing the MEF scholarships described above, awards from the new trust can be made to laypersons who are attending approved seminaries who may be exploring ministry, seeking better understanding of theology and the church, or seeking professional certification in the United Methodist Church. Scholarships from this new trust could also be awarded to clergy who are attending approved seminaries who may be taking additional seminary course work as part of additional theological graduate work or who are seeking professional certification. These scholarships will also be awarded on a per-semester-credit-hour basis and are expected to range from $100 to $1,500 per semester. This amount is also subject to change by the board.
For both of these scholarships, the board set a priority application deadline of July 15 for fall and winter terms and Nov. 15 for spring and summer terms. Additional awards may be made for persons applying after these deadlines if funding is available. The online applications and full policies can be found here.
Like all graduate education, the cost of seminary education is high, and these awards will not cover all costs for any seminary student. Tuition ranges from $480 per credit hour to $961 per credit hour at different seminaries and does not include fees, books, transportation and costs of living. While some seminary students also receive assistance from their seminaries and other institutional sources, it is still incumbent upon local churches to consider assisting their seminarians. Theologically educated clergy and laity serve the church in many ways, and when possible, the church should support these seminarians both in prayer and in finances.
One way some local churches have supported seminarians in our conference is by making grants from designated trusts held by a local church. Many local churches have trusts to assist seminarians, but may not have had a person from that local church attend seminary for some time. If your church has such a fund that has been unused for some period of time, you might consider making an award to the Great Plains Seminary Scholarship Fund, where that award can be combined with the other designated funds and used to support seminarians from across the conference. If you have any questions about this, contact board treasurer Randall Hodgkinson.
To Top
Equipping Disciples
Nebraska United Methodist
Foundation offering ministry grants
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 its Gifts from the Heart Endowment Fund. These grant dollars are available to enhance and expand 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 only for programs and activities and include operating expenses and supplies necessary for those programs or activities. They are not made for building repair, replacement nor expansion.
The application deadline is Sept. 30. For application materials and more information, visit the foundation’s website.
Questions about the application process or helping grow these types of grants, can be answered by calling 1-877-495-5545.
To Top
Scholarship, grant opportunities available from Council of Bishops
The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church announces two opportunities offered through its office:
1. Applications for a partial scholarship to attend The Ecumenical Institute at Bossey during the Fall 2018 Graduate Session are now available. Seminary students who intend to vocationally serve the UMC are encouraged to consider this opportunity to engage in an ecumenical community for this 5-month, graduate-level course. The application is due Sept. 15. For more information about The Ecumenical Institute at Bossey go to institute.oikoumene.org. For a copy of the COB scholarship application and guidelines, contact Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst at jhawxhurst@umc-cob.org.
2. Applications for one of three annual "Local Initiative Grants" are now available. These grants are for annual conference groups who are doing excellent ecumenical and/or interreligious ministries in their contexts. Projects receiving grants should be carried out during the first half of 2018. For more information about the Local Initiative Grants go to www.ocuir.org. For a copy of the COB grant application with guidelines, contact Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst at jhawxhurst@umc-cob.org.
To Top
Mercy & Justice
Sanctuary training taught
in Omaha thanks to seed money
On Saturday, June 17, a Sanctuary in the Streets training was held at Grace United Methodist Church in Omaha. The session, organized by the Omaha Area Sanctuary Network and partially funded by a Social Justice Seed Money grant from the Great Plains Conference Mercy & Justice Team, was led by the Rev. Babs Miller, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas and Alejandro Caceres, Immigration Organizer, Grassroots Leadership, also from Austin. Both are leaders in the Austin Sanctuary Network and are experienced in organizing and executing this emerging form of resistance against our unjust immigration system. Participants came from a number of different churches, denominations and organizations and from as far away as South Sioux City.
Sanctuary in the Streets or Rapid Response is a means to stand in solidarity and to accompany individuals and families targeted by immigration raids. It is a way to peacefully disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids aimed at detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Sanctuary in the Streets teaches supporters to be witnesses to ICE raids and to increase public awareness by live-streaming arrests using cellphones. Other goals include monitoring actions of ICE agents, ensuring that rights of targeted immigrants are respected, and delaying ICE activities through nonviolent direct action until media arrive on the scene.
Feedback received following the training has been very positive, both in the quality of the presentation and the underlying concept. Part of the training involved participants acting out different scenarios through role play. This was a powerful way to learn and brought out numerous questions that were addressed. A number of the participants have expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of organizing to be capable of performing Sanctuary-in-the-Streets in their home communities.
For further information about plans for Sanctuary in the Streets in the Omaha area, contact Gene Williams.
Information about Social Justice Seed Money grants can be found here. The next application deadline is Sept. 30.
To Top
Micah Corps learns about
Korean history, heritage
During their trip to Washington D.C. in June, the Micah Corps interns were able to meet with Aimee Hong, the United Methodist Seminar Program Director at the General Board of Church and Society. She led discussion on the division of the Korean Peninsula and how the church and secular institutions are attempting to reunify the two countries. Aimee shared how her Korean heritage and family ties to North Korea inform her understanding of the tensions present on the peninsula.
One of the most inspiring stories of the church working towards reunification was during a meeting of religious leaders from the north and south in 1986 when the delegates had communion together. By breaking bread together, delegates from both sides set aside their country affiliation and affirmed their unity in the family of God. Though there have been strides towards unification by the church, political tension has become more divisive between the two states because of antagonizing statements from political leaders in the United States. Another factor further dividing the countries is age division. For example, younger South Koreans do not remember their families in North Korea that older generations do and don’t remember a unified Korea.
As United Methodists, however, we know that families are important to the strength of any nation. The fact that families have been separated due to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the disparate living conditions in the two countries are of concern to the church. We support the removal of harmful and divisive sanctions, are working to replace the 1953 armistice agreement with a peace agreement, and support the declaration of people fleeing North Korea as refugees. To further support peace and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula, you can read the resolution titled “Korea: Peace, Justice, and Reunification” (#6135) in the Book of Resolutions. Another way to spread information is to reach out to Aimee Hong for resources on how to address Korean unification in the church with liturgy and messages.
Learning that the UMC has been and is involved in this important work was inspiring for the interns of the Micah Corps. By bridging geopolitics and our faith, we come closer to realizing the world that Jesus worked for: a world where there is no more Jew or Gentile, Slave or Free, North or South Korean.
-- Austin Wall, Micah Corps intern
To Top
Washington, D.C., church services
inspire Micah Corps members
Nearing the end of a busy week in Washington D.C., the Micah Corps interns attended two churches for Sunday worship. The group split up for the morning visit to Foundry UMC, just blocks from the White House, and learned later on that Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attends this church! Five interns worshiped at the earlier Gospel service which had an emotionally charged liturgy filled with songs from the African American Heritage Hymnal. The building was beautiful and open — welcoming all who entered. The Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli delivered a message that transcended social location as the congregation engaged the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector leaving with the understanding that, “this story is appealing because God’s grace is free.” The second group worshipped at the later traditional service which had similar liturgy yet different hymns. Millie Flores appreciated that “during the Lord’s Prayer (we were) directed to an insert that said, ‘Our Father/Mother who art in heaven’, which was neat since God isn’t constricted by gender.”
Later that evening, the Micah Corps regrouped at the contemporary service of Asbury UMC called “The Bridge.” The Rev. Matthew Wilke led an intentional and engaging sermon that asked poignant questions about who we are as made in God’s image and who we hope to be as Christians. The atmosphere was one of trust and community as the congregants discussed in small groups their hopes and limitations as people navigating their lives in God’s world. Later on, the interns witnessed the gifts and call of a local high school dancer, who shared his choreography and art with the congregation. “He was really passionate and it was cool to see that,” Micah Corps intern Kidest Ketema, said. “You don’t typically see that in church so it was really nice to have that as a part of the service,” Primerose Emile added. Pastor Matthew was kind enough to talk with the interns after about the rich history of Asbury UMC, which split off from Foundry UMC due to its segregation of blacks in their balcony seating. Asbury UMC was also home to the Underground Railroad a century ago.
The inspiring, inclusive and passionate ministries that the Micah Corps witnessed during the Sunday worship experiences in D.C. were a perfect way to see the necessary intersection of faith and action. It revealed the burning desire of a city characterized by the busy and draining reality of government work as a space filled with people resisting this mundane pattern to form engaged, diverse and loving communities.
To follow the Micah Corps throughout the summer, please like them on Facebook at “Micah Corps” and follow them on Twitter and Instagram at "@micahinterns"
-- Maddie Johnson, Micah Corps co-coordinator
To Top
Micah Corps interns
pictured in New York Times article
Two of this summer’s Micah Corps interns were pictured in a recent New York Times article on protests to President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
Roy Koech is pictured to the left of the main photo to the article, and Jeania Ree is on the far right.
More Micah Corps interns, in their red polo shirts, can be seen in this video among the demonstrators.
To Top
Event looks at church’s role
in politically, racially divided nation
Editor’s note: An incorrect date for this event was listed in last week’s GPconnect.
Each fall, the Great Plains Mercy & Justice Team invites you to a day of engaging with different issues to better equip us as Christ’s followers to transform the world.
This year’s event, “For the Transformation of the World – The role of the church in a politically/racially divided nation,” is from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at Saint Mark United Methodist Church, 1525 N. Lorraine Ave., Wichita.
The featured speaker will be Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners in Washington D.C., a non-profit faith-based organization, network and movement whose mission statement calls for “putting faith into action for social justice.” Wallis is also a best-selling author, public theologian, national preacher, social activist and international commentator on ethics and public life. Books by Wallis include “America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America,” “The (Un)common Good,” “God’s Politics” and “The Great Awakening.”
The event is free, but registration is requested.
If you travel from further away and mileage costs are a concern, please contact the Rev. Kalaba Chali at kchali@greatplainsumc.org or 316-684-0266.
To Top
Administration
Online church historian
school available this fall
The Indiana Conference is offering a free, online Local Church Historians School this fall.
Starting in September, 12 weekly email lessons will cover the basic principles of effective church history keeping.
Registration is available here, with a deadline of Sept. 1. A dependable email address and minimal computer skills are needed. For more information, contact Richard Stowe, rastowe@mstar.net.
To Top
Are your business
cards up to date?
If you are in need of business cards, send your name, church or agency affiliation, address, phone numbers, email and website to Roxie Delisi at rdelisi@greatplainsumc.org.
She will be placing a bulk order in the next few days, so now is a great time to place your order and receive your business cards quickly. The cost is approximately $35 for 500 cards.
To Top
Across the Connection
Blessing box has arrived at Cunningham, Kansas, UMC
Did you hear the news story about 6-year-old Paxton Ballard and the blessing box he installed at his home in Wichita? Well, his idea to share with people in his community has gone viral, and Cunningham, Kansas, has joined the craze. The Cunningham United Methodist Church has put up a box on the east side of the church along Main Street. Harry Graves, retired pastor and wood artist, built the box, which resembles more of an outdoor cupboard than a box.
Any person can give to the Blessing Box or take from the box at any time. Nonperishable food, drinks, toiletries and supplies are available. There are no questions asked, and there are no requirements to use. Let's continue to make Cunningham a place of many blessings.
--Rev. Abby Caseman, Cunningham UMC
To Top
Wichita pastors included
in newspaper story on robes
Some say wearing it keeps them closer to God. Other say not wearing it keeps them closer to their congregation. An article in The Wichita Eagle surveyed pastors -- including the Rev. Cindy Watson from Wichita First UMC and the Rev. Jeff Gannon from Chapel Hill UMC in Wichita -- about their opinion on wearing clerical robes.
Read the story here.
To Top
In Other News
To Top
Resources
To Top
Newsletters
To Top
Blogs and Opinion
- Preparing for the shift: The Rev. Doug Powe (pictured above), incoming Lewis Center for Church Leadership director, says that demographic shifts will bring increased diversity to the neighborhoods around most churches in the coming decades. Rather than simply ignoring changes, churches can prepare for this shift, he writes.
- Desert encroaching in Nigeria: Sharon Adamu Bambuka, director of communications with the Southern Nigeria Conference, says that desertification is a global problem, and yet Third World countries have suffered the consequences. Land is being farmed using inappropriate methods; farmers cannot afford herbicides and pesticides. In most cases, it is not just the lack of money, but the know-how of technological infrastructure or the agricultural framework to break out of poverty and environmental degradation.
To Top
Classifieds
Submit a classified and view other ads at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
To Top
