Equipping Disciples

Consider helping your church, conference through nominations

The Great Plains Conference Nominations Committee beginning its work for 2026 and is inviting lay and clergy members to express their interest in serving on a conference committee. This is a great way for those who want to expand their own leadership skills and/or who want to lift up emerging leaders across Kansas and Nebraska. 

How is God calling you to serve? Each year we have open positions for both clergy and lay persons. And there is definitely a significant shortage of lay persons in the nomination pool. As you think about nominating yourself or who a good person is to lift up is, here are some things you need to know about the nominations process. 

• The nominations process involves two steps, where the person nominates themselves or lifts up someone else’s name via the nomination form and then the nominee is sent a more extensive survey questionnaire about interest areas, skills, etc. A person cannot be considered for a committee unless that survey form is completed.
• The conference currently does not allow persons, unless by virtue of their office, to concurrently serve on multiple conference committees. This was part of our organizing framework when we became the Great Plains. This means that if someone is already on a conference committee they cannot serve on another.
• The nominations committee does not fill openings on the Board of Ordained Ministry, Administrative Review, Transition into Ministry, or Committee on Investigation. Please check with your District Superintendent regarding interest in serving on those committees.

To indicate your interest or to lift up the name of another person please fill out the nominations form on the Great Plains Conference website https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/leadershipnomination25

-- Esther Hay, nominations committee chair
estherhay56@gmail.com

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Wellness for children’s ministry leaders is subject of webinar

Serving our Kids, Tending our Souls: A Morning of Wellness for Children's Ministry Leaders will be from 9:30-11 a.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 22 over Zoom.

Building up the faith of children is essential to the church of today and tomorrow! Faithful children's leaders, educators and volunteers, have an important task and calling to do this good work! As we serve our young people, we also need to care for our own faith lives and spiritual health.

Join the Great Plains Regional Children's Ministry Coordinators and our guest leader, Rev. Dr. Shelly Petz, Clergy Faith and Wellness Consultant for the Great Plains Conference, for a morning to fill your faith cup and be energized for the ministry you do with kids in your context! 

Register before Nov. 12 and we'll mail a care package to the first 30 registrants.

Register NOW! Final date to register is Wednesday, Nov. 19.

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Mercy & Justice

Resources address food insecurity; call for Paper Plate Campaign!

The Great Plains Mercy & Justice Team, in collaboration with the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and their partners, will be offering resources throughout Advent that will focus on issues of food insecurity and hunger. According to the United Methodist Social Principles, we believe that “[f]ood systems that are ecologically sustainable, locally oriented and equitably distributed are urgent priorities. We endorse policies and practices designed to ensure access to healthy nourishment [...], especially for communities that have been [...] deprived of adequate resources to produce or purchase their own food.” 

In light of the recent government shutdown and federal cuts to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, it is essential that we respond to the current and ongoing issue of food insecurity across the Great Plains in concrete ways. These Advent resources will include weekly lectionary devotionals, worship liturgy, Fast Facts regarding food insecurity and SNAP, stories across Kansas and Nebraska and creative missional engagement strategies through funding, advocacy, volunteering and more. 

Here are some “action items” to consider in your local churches to get the ball rolling before Advent begins:

• Giving: As your local church finalizes any end-of-year giving, including a Christmas Eve offering, consider how your local church might commit financially to addressing urgent and ongoing food insecurity by donating to state-wide food banks and/or local food pantries. 
  • Food Banks in Kansas:
    • Harvesters
    • Kansas Food Bank
    • Second Harvest Community Food Bank  
  • Food Banks in Nebraska: 
    • Food Bank for the Heartland
    • Food Bank of Siouxland
    • Food Bank of Lincoln
  •  Food Pantries Compiled by the Great Plains UMC:
    • Central Nebraska District: Albion, Aurora, Cairo, Central City, Columbus, David City, Geneva, Grand Island Trinity, Hastings First, Red Cloud and Shelton.
    • East Central Kansas District: Allen, Americus, Emporia First, Neosho Rapids, Perry, Reading, Rossville and Topeka Crestview.
    • Eastern Nebraska District: Alder Grove, Omaha FaithWestwood, Omaha TRI Community-Living Hope-Union Memorial, South Sioux City St. Paul-Dakota City-Homer, Springfield and Weeping Water.
    • Southeast Kansas District: Baldwin First, Colony, Columbus, Fredonia, Humboldt, Neodesha, Prescott, Richmond, Wesley KU and Yates Center.
    • Southeast Nebraska District: Elmwood, Lincoln ConnectioN Point, Lincoln First, Lincoln Horizons, Lincoln St. Mark’s, Nebraska City, Seward and Waverly.

• Where are the food pantries in your community? Where are the blessing boxes? Do you have ways to provide this information (social media, website, flyers) to folks in your community? 
• Have you reached out to your local food pantry/pantries to ask what they need right now and in the future? If not, what is your local church’s plan to reach out directly? 

Share Stories through Virtual Paper Plate Campaign: Nearly 1 in 8 people in the U.S. are recipients of SNAP. There are a host of reasons why someone in your community, your neighborhood, or your church pew might be a SNAP recipient or need to turn to a food pantry for help. There is power in sharing stories and challenging our assumptions about who benefits from food assistance. Whether you are a SNAP recipient, advocate for food justice, volunteer or staff at a food bank or food pantry, or involved in your community’s food production, sharing your story matters! Please distribute this brief story collection form in your church newsletter or social media throughout the month of November so that we can highlight the impact of SNAP and other food supports in the Great Plains UMC.

Beginning in the Nov. 19 issue of GPConnect, the Mercy & Justice Team will share these Advent resources. If you have questions about this resource or how your church can get started, please reach out to Great Plains justice collaborative contractor, Rev. Maddie Johnson, at mmjohnson@greatplainsumc.org.

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Advisory team plans jurisdictional justice, peace gatherings in 2026

The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) of The United Methodist Church recently convened its Advisory Team for Justice and Peace for a three-day retreat on Capitol Hill, where faith leaders from across the United States gathered to discern, dream, and design the Church’s next steps toward justice-rooted action.

Over the course of the retreat, participants deepened their theological grounding, strengthened connections across conferences, and began collaborative planning for 2026 Jurisdictional Gatherings for Justice and Peace — a landmark series of regional events that will mobilize United Methodists to advocate, organize, and lead for social transformation within their communities and beyond.

The advisory team included Andrea Paret, peace with justice coordinator for the Great Plains Conference.

Read more here.

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Conference seeks applicants for creation justice care coordinator

Upon the passing of legislation at this year’s Annual Conference, the Creation Justice Team is now searching for a Creation Justice Coordinator. Working with the Creation Justice Team, this person’s role will be primarily focused on resourcing and leading the people of the Annual Conference in becoming more ecologically sustainable and addressing environmental injustices through the formation of networks and/or green teams across regions, districts, local churches, campus ministries and camps.

This person will be a connector, communicator and creation advocate! Specific priorities and programs will be set in partnership with the Creation Justice Team. This person is expected to participate in monthly meetings with the CJ Team, Mercy and Justice Team and the appropriate UM Creation Justice movement teams. A background in environmental advocacy, ecological theology or ministry is preferred but not required. Resources for training and education are available. UMC Earthkeepers training is required within the first year of service.

This is a position with opportunities for teaching about creation justice, creating and resourcing a network of green teams across the conference and lifting up and telling the story of the creation justice work happening here in the Great Plains. The right person will be able to envision, alongside the Creation Justice Team, how the GP conference can be a model and leader in the movement of caring for God’s creation through creation care, education and advocacy.

Currently, this position is unpaid, but monies are available to reimburse for mileage and leadership expenses.

Expected monthly hours: 20
Accountable to: Creation Justice Team
Interested individuals can apply by filling out this form: https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/CreationJusticeCoordinator.

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Administration

Financial education workshops
scheduled for rest of year

Wespath is offering financial education webinars in November and December.

They include:

• EY Webinar: 12 investing mistakes and how to avoid them, Nov. 12-20.
• Prepare for 2026 with Clarity, Confidence and Compass, Nov. 18-19.
• EY Webinar: Show your debt who’s boss, Dec. 10-18.

Find out more here.

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In celebration of 60 years, NUMF launches Dare to Dream Grant 

The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation is celebrating 60 years of partnership with United Methodist churches across Nebraska. In honor of this milestone, the Foundation will award 10 churches a one-time grant of $6,000 each. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1, 2025. 

The Dare to Dream Grant encourages churches to think boldly and creatively about ministry. Priority will be given to applicants who are ready to DREAM: 

• Dare to think outside the box. 
• Reach out to the larger community. 
• Eager to create new opportunities for both church and community. 
• Authentic in their plan for using the funds. 
• Make it happen through strong commitment and follow-through. 

For full guidelines and the application form, visit www.numf.org/scholarships-grants. 

For questions, contact Sharon Schmidt, Director of Stewardship, at 402-323-8841 or sschmidt@numf.org.

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Resources

Advent, Christmas books for adults
available from resource center