THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Podcast catches up with Bishop David Wilson
Tough decisions await jurisdictional conference
Here’s all the legislation passed at General Conference
Applications open for final round of matching property grants
Old Mission celebrates Juneteenth with music, message
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Openings remain for upcoming sermon, worship planning retreat
Candidacy summit draws prospective clergy to Topeka
Livingston’s book ‘Getting to Good’ available beginning next week
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Setting your vision is topic of kids ministry Zoom on July 13
Visitors’ night is tonight at UMY Institute in Baldwin City
Great Plains receives award at United Women in Faith gathering
Resurrection offers materials to churches, groups, individuals
MERCY & JUSTICE
Micah Corps joins immersion trip to Alabama
Online prayer meeting for Gaza set for July 9
Webinar series on Palestine, Israel continues on Aug. 28
DISASTER RESPONSE
$8,000 worth of water on way to Santee Sioux Nation
ADMINISTRATION
Sunday is deadline to apply for Nebraska UMF scholarships
RESOURCES
Seedbed books among material available from resource center
Expert advises coping with emotions of appointment changes
Welcoming people of color to affirming congregations
United Women in Faith offers grants for renewable energy efforts
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
In other news
Newsletters
Classifieds
Podcast catches up
with Bishop David Wilson
We kick off recording in our sound studio at the new conference office with a discussion with Bishop David Wilson.
In a discussion with Todd Seifert, conference communications director, the bishop shares his reflections on General Conference, the Great Plains Annual Conference session, and the challenges facing delegates at the upcoming South Central Jurisdictional Conference in Rogers, Arkansas.
Download the “In Layman’s Terms” podcast episode.
To Top
Tough decisions await
jurisdictional conference
In The United Methodist Church, jurisdictional conferences are known primarily for the election and assignment of new bishops.
But in 2024, after the disaffiliations of about one-fourth of the churches in the United States and a growing number of churches in Africa, when jurisdictions nationwide meet July 10-12, most of them will be making hard decisions on how to cut the number of bishops in the U.S. from 39 to 32 after an overwhelming vote at General Conference in May.
The South Central Jurisdiction, which includes the Great Plains as well as conferences in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico, will make decisions on moving from eight bishops to six when it meets in Rogers, Arkansas. One of the eight episcopal leaders currently in the South Central, Bishop Jimmy Nunn of Oklahoma, has announced his retirement.
Read more here.
To Top
Here’s all the legislation
passed at General Conference
United Methodist News has assembled a chart of all the legislation that this year’s historic General Conference moved forward. The chart includes brief summaries of what the legislation does and when it takes effect.
Read story and see chart.
Effective dates for legislation.
To Top
Applications open for final round
of matching property grants
Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2024 round of matching property grants. The application can be found at this link. The deadline for application submission is July 31.
Grants of up to $25,000 are available to churches for capital improvements that will improve accessibility and enhance ministry and outreach opportunities in their communities.
Upon the recommendation of the Great Plains Council on Finance and Administration and the Board of Trustees, this will be the final round of grants issued through this program. Questions about the grants or the application can be addressed to Board of Trustee President Amy Seifert (aseifert@greatplainsumc.org) or Sabrina Aubuchon (saubuchon@greatplainsumc.org).
To Top
Old Mission celebrates
Juneteenth with music, message
With celebratory music and cultural insight, Old Mission United Methodist Church celebrated Juneteenth on June 16. Rev. David Livingston, senior pastor, compared it to the size of an Easter Sunday morning and noted that only about 3-5% of the congregation is Black.
The service included dialogues between three generations of Black and white Old Mission members and pastors, a reading of the Langston Hughes poem “Freedom” and music led by four-time Grammy nominee and Old Mission member Oleta Adams.
Read more and see a photo gallery.
To Top
Clergy Excellence
Openings remain for upcoming
sermon, worship planning retreat
There is still time for clergy to sign up for A Time Apart, from July 29 to Aug. 2 at The Leadership Center, Aurora, Nebraska.
The sermon and worship planning retreat will be led by Rev. Dr. Theresa Mason, Rev. Anne Gahn, and Rev. Doug Gahn. The cost is $250.
To Top
Candidacy summit draws
prospective clergy to Topeka
Twenty participants, mentors and leaders gathered last week at Topeka First UMC for the conference candidacy summit.
Candidacy summit is a two-day (in-person or virtual) retreat to kick start the candidacy process. It represents a commitment from prospective clergy and from the church that candidates are serious about discerning God’s call for their life and taking their place in the leadership of The United Methodist Church. Candidacy summit is twice a year (in-person in June and online in January).
Livingston’s book ‘Getting to Good’
will be available beginning next week
“Getting to Good,” a book by Rev. David Livingston, pastor of Fairway Old Mission UMC, will be released next week by Market Square Books.
From the publisher: Two thousand years ago, Jesus told his first followers that they could experience “abundant life.” Yet today, we still struggle with some of the same problems as his first followers, as well as some problems they didn’t have to face.
“Getting to Good” explores seven everyday struggles of modern life. Through scripture, contemporary examples, and personal stories from the author, the reader will learn more about the causes of these issues and some concrete steps to get to their own good place.
Critically important, “Getting to Good” does not attempt to wish away the problems we face. Instead, it confronts our problems head-on. Life is not and will not be perfect and free from difficulty. But we can get to a good place even with the inevitable challenges we face.
Equipping Disciples
Setting your vision is topic of
kids ministry Zoom on July 13
Calling all children's ministry leaders (volunteers, staff, pastors). The Kidsmin fall focus event on setting your vision.
Join us from 9:30-11 a.m. CT Saturday, July 13, for a Zoom event to kick off the 2024-2025 school year, “Dream Big & Plan for Impact.” This event is designed to help children's ministry volunteers, staff, and pastors across Nebraska and Kansas brainstorm innovative ways to engage kids in church, faith, and community.
Choose Your Breakout Sessions:
Session 1 (9:40-10:10 a.m.):
- World Changers: Explore engaging mission opportunities with Rebecca, equipping kids to serve both near and far!
- Curriculum Corner: Feeling overwhelmed by curriculum choices? Join Ashley to learn how to select the perfect fit for your ministry.
- Growing Young: Based on "Growing Young," Derek will discuss the crucial role that Children’s Ministry has in reversing the trend of disengagement among young people.
Session 2 (10:15-10:45 a.m.):
- Faith at Home: Learn practical tips from Ashley to nurture faith at home, including car conversation prompts, gratitude journals, and more!
- Kids in Worship: Integrate children meaningfully into your congregation's worship experience. Rebecca will share best practices to make it happen!
- Mini Story Learning: Dive into the power of oral storytelling with Erin. Discover how embodied storytelling can create engaging learning experiences for children.
Don't miss this opportunity to connect with fellow leaders, share ideas, and gain fresh inspiration for the upcoming school year.
Visitors’ night is tonight
at UMY Institute in Baldwin City
Fifty youth, counselors and leaders pose for their traditional picture at United Methodist Youth Institute, going on this week in Baldwin City.
Tonight is visitors’ night for families and alumni, with worship at Baldwin First UMC at 6 p.m., preceded by dinner at the Baker University cafeteria beginning at 4:30 p.m. Dinner is $9.50 per person. Visitors are asked to not visit campers' rooms in the residence hall or bring outside food for campers.
Look for photos and a story from Institute in next week’s GPconnect.
Great Plains receives award at
United Women in Faith gathering
The Great Plains Conference was represented at last weekend's United Women in Faith South Central Jurisdictional gathering last weekend in St. Louis. Bishop David Wilson was among the episcopal leaders attending.
The Great Plains group received an award as the top contributor to the Legacy Fund, an endowment campaign to undergird the capacity of future generations of United Women in Faith to carry forward its mission of service and advocacy with women, children and youth in the United States and around the world for the next 150 years.
Resurrection offers materials
to churches, groups, individuals
How do you want to be treated?
There’s a phrase, commonly known as The Golden Rule, that simply states: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” A version of this teaching can be found in almost every major religion. This universal rule holds the power to bring people together.
Do Unto Others is a grassroots movement launched by Resurrection, a United Methodist Church, in the Kansas City area, to encourage people to be intentional about treating one another with kindness, even those with whom we disagree. A vote for kindness is a step toward overcoming the polarization in our country through civility and respect.
The material is adaptable for churches, organizations and individuals.
Mercy & Justice
Micah Corps joins
immersion trip to Alabama
Last week, Micah Corps joined other lay and clergy persons around the Great Plains Conference for the Civil Rights Immersion Justice Encounter in Montgomery, Alabama. Throughout the trip, our group visited several historic sites and heard from local guides all about Montgomery’s history from slave trades and lynching to boycotts and marches.
On the first night, our group attended a deeply moving Juneteenth concert organized by the Equal Justice Initiative. This concert not only celebrated freedom and resilience but also set a powerful tone for the days ahead, reminding us of the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.
During the first full day, we traveled to Selma, about an hour away from Montgomery, to learn about the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March. Walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, we felt the weight of history and the bravery of those who marched for voting rights despite facing brutal violence. We spent time by the water, remembering our baptisms, and taking responsibility for the work God calls us to do as Christians to continue in the fight for justice.
Back in Montgomery, we visited the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum. The Legacy Museum, located on a site where enslaved people were once warehoused, provided a stark and sobering journey through America's history of racial injustice. The exhibits, which detailed the horrors of slavery, lynching, segregation, and mass incarceration, were highly educational, deeply emotional, and challenged us to consider what God calls us to do next.
In Montgomery, we visited Dexter Parsonage Museum, where Martin Luther King Jr. lived during his ministry at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, which we also had to opportunity to tour. Walking through both his home and church immersed us in the life and work of MLK, reminding us of just how recently he lived and fought for equal rights and justice. Meeting people who retain childhood memories of King’s leadership at their church and in their community made the story so much more vivid than a history textbook, and that much more inspiring and convicting for our own work.
These are just a few of the many sites, stories, and people we encountered last week in Alabama. The impact of this trip was profound for each in our group, including us Micah Corps interns. We left Montgomery with a deeper understanding of our country’s history and the systemic racism that has shaped our history and continues to affect our society. We learned that the fight for civil rights requires not only remembrance but also action. The trip encouraged us to reflect on our own roles in promoting justice and equity and motivated us to become more active in addressing these issues within our own spheres of influence.
As Micah Corps, we are challenged to continue listening for how God calls us to use what we’ve learned to continue working for mercy and justice here in Topeka.
-- Zachariah Clark, Micah Corps intern
Online prayer meeting
for Gaza set for July 9
An online prayer meeting for Gaza, presented by the World Methodist Council, will be at 1 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 9.
Nader Abuamsha, director of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches, will speak about the suffering of civilians in Gaza and the difficult work to provide food, water, medicine and spiritual support and call not only to prayer, but also to action towards peace with justice.
Webinar series on Palestine,
Israel continues on Aug. 28
Kairos USA, an organization dedicated to education, advocacy and theology that takes seriously Jesus’ call for love, forgiveness, justice and peace, invites us to participate in a webinar series "The Stones Cry Out," about Palestine and Israel, over the next few weeks. Presenters from different backgrounds will share important topics.
The webinar on Aug. 28 is with David Wildman, executive secretary for human rights and racial justice in the United Methodist Church, working with both the General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Church and Society.
Submitted by the Holy Land Task Force
Disaster Response
$8,000 worth of water
on way to Santee Sioux Nation
Annual conference delegates you knocked it out of the park!
You poured your heart out for the Santee Sioux Nation and collected $8,050.21.
Because of your generosity, we are able to provide two semitrucks of water. Keep watching GPconnect for when Bishop Wilson and Rev. Hollie Tapley will be present as the water is delivered.
Thank you for making this happen!
--Rev. Hollie Tapley
Disaster response coordinator
Administration
Sunday is deadline to apply
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.
To Top
Resources
Seedbed books among material
available from resource center
Books from Seedbed publishing are available from United Media Resource Center.
Titles include “Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience” by Kevin Watson, “Everything Can Change in 40 Days: A Journey of Transformation Through Christ” by Jean Watson, and “Pure Hearted: Banding Together for Sexual Wholeness” by Mark Ongley.
Find those and more here.
To Top
Expert advises pastors on coping with the emotions of appointment changes
Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter offers fellow United Methodist pastors five steps for finding closure when changing appointments. She also seeks to dispel a common misconception: “that you and your congregation can quickly shift appointments without any consequences.”
Read more here.
To Top
Welcoming people of color
to affirming congregations
During Pride Month in June, the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race offers ways for lay and clergy leaders in church or ministry to become more explicitly welcoming, affirming of and in partnership with LGBTQIA+ people of color. “Welcoming People of Color to Affirming Congregations” offers a video and discussion questions to explore and plan out how churches may become more accessible and receptive across lines of race, class and clan.
View resource.
To Top
United Women in Faith offers
grants for renewable energy efforts
.jpg?width=539)
United Women in Faith groups are encouraged to apply for $100 to $3,000 grants to develop or continue renewable energy efforts. Deadline for the first round of application review is July 31. The grants are intended to support many forms of projects, from installations to awareness and advocacy campaigns to training and event participation. Examples are solar, wind, small-scale hydro and geothermal efforts that are centered on justice and equity.
Learn more.
Apply.
To Top
Across the Connection
In other news
To Top
Newsletters
To Top
Classifieds
Classifieds are posted for 30 days unless otherwise requested. Please allow three business days for your classified to appear on the website. Email David Burke to update or renew your classified. Submit your classified here.
To Top
|
