Download the printable version of the Aug. 16 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bishop Saenz: Weekend attacks were not American, not Christian
United Methodists are encouraged to ‘Embrace Love’
FCC auction means change for many church sound systems
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Duke offering leadership development program in Omaha
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
‘Connect Events’ begin this weekend at Camp Comeca, Fontanelle
MERCY & JUSTICE
Endless wars and military spending: Learning from 'Win without War'
The difficult work of peacemaking
Bishops call for Sunday focusing on Global Migration on Dec. 3
ADMINISTRATION
Are your business cards up to date?
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Water’s Edge in Omaha branches out to help community
Trinity Grand Island, Southwestern hosting solar eclipse events
In other news
Resources
Newsletters
Blogs and opinions
Let’s start a conversation about diversity in Great Plains
Classifieds
Bishop Saenz: Weekend attacks
were not American, not Christian
Great Plains Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. called last weekend’s events in Charlottesville, Virginia, “a senseless act of blatant racism that is increasingly reemerging as a normal state of affairs in our society.”
In an open letter to the clergy and laity of the Great Plains Conference, Bishop Saenz asks for their continued prayers and pursuit of peace:
“Please continue to pray and work for an end to the insidious persistence of deplorable racism in our country. Never tire of working for a more just world and for the dignity of all people. Make a positive contribution toward peace according to your particular opportunities and responsibilities. As Christians, let us ask Christ in prayer to see others with his eyes; as brothers and sisters, not rivals, statistics, and opponents.”
Read Bishop Saenz’s entire letter here.
An open letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions from Global Board of Church & Society executive director Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe.
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United Methodists are
encouraged to ‘Embrace Love’
As your congregation gathers for worship this Sunday, congregants may be thinking and talking about the recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia. Be prepared to offer words of comfort, share details about the denomination’s stance to affirm all persons as equally valuable, and help church members find resources that will empower them to address racial justice issues in your community.
The United Methodist Church is advertising nationally to encourage a unified stand against racism, challenging people to learn how we all can be a force for good. A compilation of articles and denominational statements is available at UMC.org/EmbraceLove. Resources from across the connection are also available, including liturgies, discussion guides, videos to use in worship and on social media, and tips for talking to kids. Explore resources at http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/archives-racism-resources.
--United Methodist Communications
Bishop Bruce Ough, president of the Council of Bishops, releases statement on Charlottesville.
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FCC auction means change
for many church sound systems
An expanding need for cellphone service in the country translates into necessary changes for those with wireless microphones, including church sound systems. Here’s a look at what the change in the 600 megahertz frequency may mean for your church.
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Clergy Excellence
Duke offering leadership
development program in Omaha
Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School is offering a two-session leadership development program in Omaha this coming winter. Foundations of Christian Leadership benefits emerging leaders, lay and clergy, who seek to energize and deepen their theological imagination and commitment to Christian institutional leadership, grow in self-understanding and hone their organizational leadership skills with colleagues in an encouraging and collaborative ecumenical and interdisciplinary learning environment.
The Omaha sessions are scheduled for Nov. 13-16 and Feb. 19-22. The application deadline is Sept. 13.
The program cost is $1,500, with some scholarships available. There is an opportunity for a $5,000 grant to fund a project for your organization.
Participants will…
- Form a learning community rooted in Christian practices
- Refine a vision of thriving communities that includes the work of Christian institutions
- Learn how to assess the context in which they are serving and appropriately plan for the future
- Hone skills in human resources, administration and theological reflection
- Explore the concepts of traditioned innovation, transformative leadership and vibrant institutions as the underpinnings of effective Christian leadership
More information is available here.
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Equipping Disciples
‘Connect Events’ begin this
weekend at Camp Comeca, Fontanelle
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, will begin this weekend.
Shane Hinderliter, conference youth ministry coordinator, said advanced registration is preferred, but that those waiting until the day of the event will still be welcomed.
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.
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Mercy & Justice
Endless wars and military spending: Learning from 'Win without War'
Nabii Gatobu, Micah Corps intern, reflects on an interview with Stephen Miles from Win Without War (pictured above with the interns). This is an organization working with more than 25 coalition partners, The General Board of Church and Society and the National Council of Churches being among them:
The United States’ endless wars have proven to be detrimental to the United States as a nation according to Stephen Miles, director of the “Win without War” organization in Washington D.C. The national budget and military spending are one of the main factors. The Micah Corps interns met with several speakers from different non-profit organizations while at GBCS in June, and what caused Stephen Miles to stick out was not necessarily his ethic and morality ideals but economic reasonings. He emphasized that as the U.S. focuses its energy on war, it has not aided the economy. In fact the U.S. has positioned significant proportions of funds into wars, when alternatively the U.S. had the opportunity to place funds into other issues such as food security, children in poverty, etc. These social issues underlie much violence abroad to begin with.
To be quite frank, the U.S. is overspending at the Pentagon and a suggested alternative would be to eliminate some of the programs being used considering the U.S. has spent $5 trillion on Afghanistan and the Middle-East due to wars. An intriguing statement Stephen Miles said during the interview was, “the problem is not individual decisions, but rather the systems we have in place.” This could prove to be true considering the U.S. has been at war with Iraq since 2003. On top of that, the fact that the U.S. is involved in active conflicts in numerous places abroad can also stir up speculation about the historic and current systems which are in place. Potential questions to be raised about the system are whether one man should determine when we march on to war? Should we have Congress vote on the decision of war or even engagement in combat in general? Should the U.S. revise where it stands in terms of ethics and morality as a nation and government?
All of these are hard points that Miles brought up during the interview of why our military tactics are flawed. Additionally, he explained to the Micah Corps that President Obama had asked the FBI to conduct a study on whether giving civilian rebels weapons and training has ever worked in the past for the U.S. The conclusion was that it hasn’t been effective. Win Without War suggests that violence ultimately doesn’t get the job done, or at least it isn’t done right. His suggestions? To try something radically different. As the author of this article I want to give my opinion by first acknowledging that this was what Jesus spoke about roughly 2000 years ago. Not only do his words have absolute moral reasoning, but from this perspective his words carry economic validity as well. After thousands of years maybe it is time to try something significantly different.
Maybe violence isn’t always the answer.
-- Nabii Gatobu, Micah Corps intern
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The difficult work
of peacemaking
As we remember the dropping of the atomic bombs on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima 72 years ago this month and the unimaginable suffering these actions caused, as we listen to threats of nuclear weapons and warfare with tensions mounting between our and other nations, as we learn about the number of deaths of civilians and military personnel on all sides in military actions and wars we are involved in, what are we as Christians called to do?
In Romans 12:21, we are urged to not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good. And in Matthew 5:44-45, Jesus tells us: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
In a recent statement, Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary of The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), reminds us: “It is during times like these when we must join together in a call for the exhaustion of all diplomatic efforts before turning to military action."
The United Methodist Church believes war to be “incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ.” The Church “insists that the first moral duty of all nations is to work together to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them” (2016 Book of Discipline, Social Principles ¶165.C).
The United Methodist Church also “supports the abolition of nuclear weapons. … We call all nations that possess nuclear weapons to renounce these vile instruments of mass destruction and to move expeditiously to dismantle all nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles” (2016 Book of Resolutions, #6129).
In the Council of Bishops’ 1985 foundation document “In Defense of Creation: the Nuclear Crisis and a Just Peace,” the bishops assert that one of the “most important purposes of Christian peacemaking is the exercise of their God-given power in the political arena.” They affirm two essential means of fulfilling this purpose:
- Personal involvement of United Methodist leaders, lay and clergy, at every level in nurturing political action as an imperative of shalom, and
- Direct and regular personal engagement of our church members with policy makers in foreign and defense policy.
The bishops also make clear that peacemaking is “ultimately a spiritual issue,” and “without conversion of minds and hearts, the political systems of this world will remain estranged from shalom.”
To read the full statement, go to: https://www.umcjustice.org/news-and-stories/a-call-to-prayer-for-a-just-peace-510
-- Andrea Paret, Great Plains Peace with Justice Coordinator
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Bishops call for Sunday focusing
on Global Migration on Dec. 3
In a report from the Council of Bishops Immigration Task Force this spring it says:
“This is the day for the UMC to act with conviction and courage, giving life to its commitment to be disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. How we respond to the immigration crisis at this moment will determine the vitality of the church for generations to come.”
More than 65 million people around the world have been forced from home.
Among them are more than 21 million refugees with half of them under age 18. And in our country, the rise of deportations, several executive orders in regard to immigrants have caused a crisis.
The United Methodist Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table have designated Sunday, Dec. 3, as a day for prayers about the global migration crisis and for collecting a special offering to address suffering caused by forced migration. That means the collection will occur during the season when Christians around the world remember that even Jesus and his family were at one time refugees on the run from political violence.
The United Methodist Communications will make resources for the Global Migration Sunday available in the near future.
Pictured: Sandy Sypherd, left, and Andrea Paret, right, with Bishop Minerva Carcano.
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Administration
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.
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Across the Connection
Water’s Edge in Omaha
branches out to help community
On Aug. 6, The Water's Edge United Methodist Church in Omaha cancelled its regular worship experiences. Instead of gathering at Millard West High School, hundreds of people of all ages loved their city by serving over 20 sites throughout the metro area. The church collected thousands of pounds of food, packed hundreds of backpacks for elementary students, did landscaping at local schools, served hundreds of meals, prepared hundreds of health kits, spent time with nursing home residents, painted and cleaned for local nonprofits, picked-up trash at parks and even tore down a barn.
The Rev. Craig Finnestad, the founding pastor of The Water's Edge, notes: "This is one of the days the people of the church look forward to the most. We invest countless hours and thousands of dollars in Omaha. I tell people, we most look like Jesus when we serve and when we give. It's cool seeing the church look like Jesus."
This video shows the Water’s Edge members at work that Sunday.
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Trinity Grand Island, Southwestern hosting solar eclipse events
A solar eclipse is hitting the Great Plains and the rest of the nation on Monday, and a few of our places are celebrating:
- Trinity United Methodist in Grand Island is presenting "Praise on the Plains," Sunday. Aug. 20, beginning with a drumming circle at 9 a.m., followed by worship at 9:30 a.m. at the Railside in downtown Grand Island. This is the outside performance area where concerts are held on Friday nights during the summer. Folks are asked to bring their own lawn chairs. The Trinity Chancel Choir, Children's Choir and Crosspoint Contemporary worship band will perform. Eileen's Cookies and drinks will be served after. The church is hoping some of the anticipated 10,000 visitors to town might stop by. In addition to social media, the church is placing fliers at the local hotels. And it's included in the lists by the chamber of commerce of "Things to do" surrounding the eclipse.
- A solar eclipse watch party hosted by the natural science and mathematics division of Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, will be open to the public on Monday, Aug. 21. The eclipse is set to occur at about midday, and all are invited to attend the event near the main college entrance on the west side of campus.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun and the shadow of the moon falls on the Earth’s surface.
According to Bob Gallup, professor of physics and mathematics, for this eclipse the moon’s shadow will race across the Earth’s surface from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States at speeds greater than 1,400 mph.
“When viewed from Cowley County, the eclipse will start at 11:36 a.m., maximum eclipse will occur at 1:04 p.m., when 90 percent of the sun will be covered, and the eclipse will end at 2:32 p.m.,” Gallup says.
A telescope will be used to project an image of the eclipse. In addition, personal eclipse projection cards and a limited supply of eclipse glasses will be available for use by participants.
Gallup stresses the importance of eye protection while viewing the eclipse.
“At no time will the eclipse be safe to view in Cowley County without adequate eye protection, and normal sunglasses are not sufficient,” Gallup says. “Even at maximum eclipse, the 10 percent of the sun still visible will be able to cause serious and permanent eye damage.”
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In other news
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Resources
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Newsletters
Blogs and opinions
Let’s start a conversation
about diversity in Great Plains
During our recent Great Plains Annual Conference gathering, the Mercy and Justice Team invited me to facilitate the ministry of monitoring. Before we united the three conferences in August 2014, yearly monitoring was the task of the Kansas East Conference Commission on Diversity and Advocacy. Once the three conferences united, the Mercy and Justice Team of the Great Plains Annual Conference was charged with carrying out the responsibilities of several committees mandated by the General Conference and The United Methodist Book of Discipline to monitor diversity and inclusiveness in the church. The goal of the monitoring ministry is to build and strengthen diverse and inclusive participation in decision-making of the Annual Conference including the annual gathering as well as other areas such as key leadership positions, committees and boards.
I was ready for the task and was thankful for the support of the Mercy and Justice Team. However, a part of me suspected the uniting of the conferences had not changed the landscape of diversity or lack thereof in our conference. Before the conference I had checked the 2016 Great Plains Annual Conference Journal Statistical Tables (page 388) where membership was reported as 98.41 percent white. Still, we moved forward and monitors filled out reports for worship services, plenaries, and business sessions. Upon examination of the monitoring report my suspicions were realized. While it is true we have diversity, those populations of people remain in the background and are often not represented in key leadership roles. Here are some of the observations and statistics in the monitoring reports from the recent GPAC:
- Worship services were predominately led by white lay and clergy.
- The percentage of white clergy and lay delegates going to the microphone during business sessions was 99.9 percent.
- White male clergy were at the microphone 93 percent of the time during business sessions.
- Videos and media had predominately white images, people of color were rarely represented.
- Masculine language primarily used when referring to God in worship services.
After the Annual Conference and tallying the reports, I was torn on how to report the findings. I wondered if the report could be life-giving, could it be fruitful or would it cause division. What would be the next steps, if any? However, recent concerns in our faith communities about increased divisive and hateful rhetoric in our nation propelled me into sharing my findings.
I understand that some would argue that because we are a predominately white conference those statistics reported would make sense. However, there is diversity in our Annual Conference. How can we build up and strengthen their participation in decision-making in our annual conference? The landscape in many communities that surround our churches is ever changing and more diverse populations are present.
So now what? I keep asking myself that question. So now what? I haven’t come up with many answers since deciding to speak up other than share the findings. However, two questions come to mind: How can the Great Plains Annual Conference build and strengthen diverse and inclusive participation in decision-making? What could our Annual Conference do to work towards changing the landscape within our churches and building bridges into our increasingly diverse communities?
If you have ideas, I would love to gather around a table and start the conversation.
-- Rev. Gina Gile, Blair First United Methodist Church
- Confront Charlottesville evil with love: On July 19, 1958, a group of students walked into Dockum Drug Store in Wichita and sat down at the counter to order; they were refused service. They went to the drug store every day and were refused service until Aug. 11, 1958, when the owner relented because he was losing too much business and said, “Serve them.” We thought we had made much progress since then, writes the Rev. Kent Little, lead pastor at Wichita College Hill UMC in The Wichita Eagle.
- Lessons from a rural church: The rural area where the Rev. Stephen Fife is a United Methodist pastor is struggling economically and in other ways. But he’s found much to appreciate there, and plenty to keep him busy. He writes in a recent blog post: “The best thing that I can do for people where I serve is continually reconnect them to Christ and to their community.”
- An urgent call for prayer for Korea: A just and lasting peace in Korea and the reunification of South and North are long-standing priorities for The United Methodist Church and United Methodist Global Ministries, Thomas Kemper writes. The top executive for the mission agency called on churches to observe Sunday, Aug. 13, as a day of prayer for Korea. Kemper and Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, president of Global Ministries, also talked about Korea in a video.
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Classifieds
Submit a classified and view other ads at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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