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THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Great Plains celebrates its first decade, looks to future at AC24
Civil rights pioneer James Lawson, who walked with King, dies at 95
Lincoln layman led effort for Methodist mission fund
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Check out summer, fall programming for clergy
Korean pastors gather for post-conference fellowship
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Summit Youth Academy receives $50,000 grant
UMY Institute returns June 24-29 to Baldwin City
MERCY & JUSTICE
Micah Corps members enjoy their time at annual conference
ADMINISTRATION
KMF sets summer sessions to put your house in order
June 30 is deadline for Nebraska UMF scholarships
RESOURCES
Listening, communication are topics of material from resource center
Churches can learn more about Revised Social Principles
Learn more about sacraments through newly updated booklets
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Olathe Grace UMC takes part in KC Pride Parade
LGBTQ members of KC UMC talk about being accepted by church
Nebraska church to celebrate paying off loan
Lincoln Aldersgate hosts garden party on June 23
In other news
Newsletters
Classifieds
Great Plains celebrates its first
decade, looks to future at AC24
The Great Plains Conference celebrated its first 10 years and looked toward the future during its annual conference session, last week at Younes Center North in Kearney, Nebraska.
Read a recap of the four days.
AC Daily:
Complete videos of the sessions can be found here. They will be edited into individual segments in the near future.
Check our our photo gallery from four days in Kearney, including ordinand portraits with Bishop Wilson.
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Civil rights pioneer James Lawson,
who walked with King, dies at 95
Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., who made it his life’s work to create a nonviolent nation, died June 9 at age 95. During his lifetime, the United Methodist pastor studied and taught nonviolent resistance, walked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and trained many of the young leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
Read more from UM News Service.
Related: Colleagues remember Lawson.
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Lincoln layman led effort
for Methodist mission fund
Lloyd Ambrosius taught history for nearly five decades at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, winning Fulbright fellowships and publishing groundbreaking works on Woodrow Wilson’s foreign policy.
Ambrosius also was a faithful United Methodist and played a critical role in the founding of Encounter with Christ in Latin America and the Caribbean, an endowed fund that supports Methodist ministry in those regions. Ambrosius died May 7 at age 82.
Read more from UM News Service.
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Clergy Excellence
Check out summer, fall
programming for clergy
Are you thinking about your Continuing Education needs for this summer and fall? We’ve added a few options and wanted to encourage you to check out what’s available in the months ahead:
- A Time Apart, a sermon and worship planning retreat led by Rev. Dr. Theresa Mason, Rev. Anne Gahn, and Rev. Doug Gahn. $250
- (week just added) Monday, July 22 (5 p.m.)-Friday, July 26 (3 p.m.) at St. Benedict’s Center in Schuyler, Nebraska
- Monday, July 29 (5 p.m.) to Friday, August 2 (3 p.m.) at The Leadership Center in Aurora, Nebraska. Register here.
- Roots for Your Soul Retreat, The Embodied Gospel, led by Dr. Dave Janvier and Rev. Dr. Shelly Petz. $50, Monday, September 16 (1 p.m.) to Wednesday, September 18 (noon) at the St. Benedict Center, Schuyler, Nebraska. Read more about the retreat and register here.
- A Pastor’s Place Retreat, a retreat and 8-week small-group based group experience for Pastoral Renewal, let by Rev. Dr. Ashlee Alley Crawford. $50, Monday, September 9 (1 p.m.)-Wednesday, September 11 (noon) at the Marillac Retreat Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. Read more about the retreat and register here.
- Challenging Times, Powerful Preaching: Practices for Keeping the Flame Alive, a five-part webinar with Dr. Lucy Hogan to support you through preaching this fall. Limited spaces will be available. $150. Learn more and see the dates here and register here.
Also, don’t forget about the resources available to you on our Clergy Discipleship page. Of special note are some information about grants and one-on-one supports for Clergy:
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Korean pastors gather for
post-conference fellowship
Right after the Annual Conference, the Great Plains Korean clergy and their families gathered for their annual retreat. Held at Kearney First UMC, the gathering brought together children and adults to partake in various activities that fostered teamwork and deeper connections.
The retreat started with a meaningful panel discussion with Rev. Jeff Clinger (director of congregation excellence), Rev. Kathy Williams (director of clergy excellence), and Rev. Jane Langat (director of CRCC) as they shared their unique ministry experiences and connected with Korean clergy and their families.
The program included creative and fun team-building activities, folk dances, worship led in Korean, and talent shows of all ages in addition to mini-seminars on ten various ministry topics. It was such a life-giving and life-changing time for all who participated.
The most poignant part of the gathering came as 21 GP Korean clergy members gathered to pray for one another and especially for pastor Changhyun Kim who is ready to embark on his new church plant in Kansas City. In a moving display of solidarity and faith, the community gathered around him, laying hands and offering heartfelt prayers. This powerful act of collective faith underscored the deep bonds and shared beliefs that unite the community.
The annual GP Korean Clergy Family Retreat served as a beautiful reminder of the power of togetherness, highlighting the importance of community support, the joy of fellowship, and the strength found in unity.
-- Rev. Jin Cho
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Equipping Disciples
Summit Youth Academy
receives $50,000 grant
The Summit Youth Academy has received a $50,000 grant from the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE). A program of the Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College, the Summit is a week-long on-campus exploration of Wesleyan theology for top high school students.\
The FTE’s Leadership and Connection grant supports programs that accompany youth in exploring God’s call. The programs must have previously received a High School Youth Theology Initiative (HSYTI) sustainability grant or Lilly Youth Theology Network (LYTN).
Cheryl Rude, IFD director of campus programs and operations, says the funds will be used to strengthen marketing and fundraising efforts related to vocational opportunities for youth. In addition to the Summit, these include Leadership Southwestern, the Discipleship team, and the Bishops Scholars program.
“We are looking forward to using these resources in creative ways to directly reach the young adult population,” Rude adds.
More information on the Institute for Discipleship is available here, and more information on the Forum for Theological Exploration grants is here.
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UMY Institute returns
June 24-29 to Baldwin City
United Methodist Youth Institute, a tradition for more than a century, is June 24-29 on the campus of Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.
“Linked by Love” is the theme of this year’s Institute.
Institute is a week of youth leading youth in worship, small groups and community activities. Don’t miss out on this awesome week of growing your faith in God, connecting with other youth who follow Christ and creating lifelong friendships.
Click here for more information and to register.
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Mercy & Justice
Micah Corps members enjoy
their time at annual conference
Annual conference was a success! We arrived at Kearney, Nebraska, last Tuesday and were able to attend all of the days. We also helped in the Service of Memorial and Baptism and the mercy and justice booth.
It was such a great time getting to meet everyone and see so many familiar faces in person! As well we attended the mercy and justice luncheon and youth ‘90s dance party. It was such a wonderful experience to listen and attend all the different sessions and speakers.
One of my personal favorite sessions was the intergenerational discipleship break out session led by Rev. Melissa Gepford, intergenerational discipleship coordinator. She reported on how the youth and family ministries were working within our conference. The part that stood out most to me was how we as a conference should shift our mindsets to see youth and children as human beings and not objectifying them. Additionally, she talked about how we need to make the focus on building relationships and holding space for the younger generations to practice leadership within the church. She also talked about the innovative Leadership Lab that she is doing with the youth as a way to inspire leadership within their churches and communities.
If you want to learn more about the programs happening check out the Great Plains UMC Youth website: https://www.greatplainsumc.org/youth
Also keep up with the Micah Corps Interns on the following social medias to get a closer look at what we are doing:
- Instagram: @micahcorps
- Facebook: @micahcorps
- Tik Tok: @micah.corps
We are so grateful to have experienced annual conference and get to be in fellowship with everyone attending.
-- Jacob McCarty, 2024 Micah Corps intern
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Administration
KMF sets summer sessions
to put your house in order
If making estate plans and putting your affairs in order has been on the to-do list, then make 2024 the year to get it done.
Putting Your House in Order is a three-part series that covers:
- Estate Planning;
- Legacy Giving; and
- Memorial Planning.
Each hour-long Zoom session provides useful information and needed resources to guide you in putting your plans in place. We will discuss wills versus trusts, durable powers of attorney, advanced health care directives, legacy giving, endowments, how to document important personal and family information, and other items to assist your successors.
KMF staff will educate you on options, answer questions, and walk with you side-by-side as you create plans that reflect your wishes. While KMF staff are not licensed attorneys who can draft estate documents, we will support participants in finding an estate attorney to draft legal documents as part of the process.
As an added bonus, people who participate in all three sessions and complete the required tasks will have $500 deposited into their legacy fund at the KMF. We want to reward you for being a good steward of your resources and seed the legacy you choose to create.
Registration for summer cohorts is open now through Monday, June 17. Sessions will be held monthly on the third Thursday of June, July, and August (June 20, July 18, Aug. 15) at either 10 a.m. or noon. There is a waiting list in case these times do not work and another time slot needs to be considered.
Register now at https://kaumf-reg.brtapp.com/PuttingYourHouseinOrderRegistration
Make your plan. Leave your legacy. For questions, contact Tyler Curtis at tyler@kansasmethodistfoundation.org.
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June 30 is deadline for
Nebraska UMF scholarships
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation opened its scholarship season on April 1 with more than $50,000 in scholarships available for undergraduate students, seminary students, and local pastors pursuing a career in church leadership.
The Seminary Scholarship Program has 26 different seminary scholarships available.
- The David Wayne Krick & Donald E. Krick Jr. Seminary Scholarship are for those ministerial students who have lived in the Gateway District for two years.
- The Tither’s Scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship and is available to students who will attend or are attending an accredited two or four-year college or university in Iowa or Nebraska, or any UM-affiliated and accredited institution of higher learning (post-secondary) education. Parents must have tithed for at least five consecutive years prior to which the scholarship would begin. The students and parents must be members of a United Methodist Church in Iowa or Nebraska.
The deadline for the above scholarships is June 30.
The Course of Study Scholarships are administered on a reimbursement basis to individuals enrolled in classes within the Course of Study program. Candidates must be a member of a Nebraska United Methodist Church and a certified candidate. They must also be available to be an appointed member of the Great Plains Conference with the intention of serving ministries approved by the Conference.
For more information on these scholarships, visit www.numf.org.
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation would like to acknowledge the generous gifts donors have made to make these scholarships possible.
If you would like to talk to someone about how you can honor the memory of a loved one through a named scholarship or provide further financial assistance for a student, please call the Foundation at 877-495-5545.
St. Mark’s United Methodist Church Foundation in Lincoln also has seminary scholarships available. Contact Bob Fitzsimmons at 402-770-5677 or fitzfp@aol.com for more information.
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Resources
Listening, communication are topics
of material from resource center
Who doesn’t want to be a better listener or communicator? These DVDs and books from United Media Resource Center can help the case.
DVDs include “Connect with Your Neighbors” by Lovett Weems and Amy Oden, “I’d Like You More if You Were More Like Me” by John Ortberg, and “Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World” by Karen Ehman.
Books include “Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies” by Marilyn McEntyre, “Friendship: The Heart of Being Human” by Victor Lee Austin, and “How to Have That Difficult Conversation You’ve Been Avoiding” by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.
Find those and more here.
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Churches can learn more
about Revised Social Principles
The Revised Social Principles passed by the postponed 2020 General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, won’t go into effect until January 2025. In the meantime, the United Methodist Board of Church and Society plans to produce support materials to help educate churches on the new legislation.
Learn more
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Learn more about sacraments
through newly updated booklets
Updated booklets explaining the sacraments are available now from Discipleship Ministries. Subjects of the Belong resources include baptism, Holy Communion and membership vows. Prices range from $3.99 to $7.99.
Learn more
Purchase
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Across the Connection
Olathe Grace UMC takes
part in KC Pride Parade
Olathe Grace UMC marched in the KC Pride Parade on June 8th. Several area churches marched or had booths. With 28 marchers, Grace may have been the largest single church marching in the parade! It was a fun and exciting day, filled with hope and acceptance. Afterwards, we were targeted online and in person by more than one hate group, but to us, that means we're doing something right!
Instagram reel.
-- Rev. Mitch Todd, Olathe Grace
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LGBTQ members of KC UMC
talk about being accepted by church
June is Pride Month, and Trinity UMC in Kansas City, Missouri, is celebrating 20 years of openly welcoming LGBTQ members of the community.
Among those interviewed for this video are Rev. Tino Herrera, Great Plains pastor assigned to the KC church, and Rev. Lee Johnson, a retired Great Plains pastor.
Watch the video from KSHB.
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Nebraska church to
celebrate paying off loan
Ten and a half years after a fire destroyed all but the shell of Nebraska’s Syracuse UMC, the church will celebrate a loan burning ceremony this Sunday to complete the $1.2 million project to rebuild it.
Read more from News Channel Nebraska.
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Lincoln Aldersgate hosts
garden party on June 23
Kids and Pollinators Play at Aldersgate Gardens will be from 3-5 p.m. June 23, at 8320 South St., Lincoln.
The free fun will include an ice cream social, learning about pollinators, playing on the playground and enjoying the wonder of God’s creation. Live music will be performed by Little Thunder at 3 p.m. and Chris Sayre at 4 p.m.
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In other news
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Newsletters
Classifieds
Classifieds are posted for 30 days unless otherwise requested. Please allow three business days for your classified to appear on the website. Email David Burke to update or renew your classified. Submit your classified here.
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