Thursday, January 22, 2015

The Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church for Wednesday, 20 January 2015 - Gp Connect

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In this edition of GPconnect:

Election of General Conference delegates

The 2015 Great Plains Annual Conference Session agenda will include voting for lay and clergy delegates for the 2016 General Conference. General and Jurisdictional Conferences are held every four years and are important parts of being United Methodist. Clergy and lay members of annual conference do not need to be nominated, but can submit their names as persons interested in election. The process to do this is by submitting a profile. Additionally, names can be added at annual conference without prior submission of a profile.

Six lay and clergy delegates will be selected for General Conference, six lay and clergy delegates to Jurisdictional Conference and three lay and clergy alternates. Lay members will vote and select the lay delegates while clergy members will vote and select the clergy delegates.

If you are a lay member of an United Methodist Church or an ordained clergy member of the annual conference, you may submit a profile to have your name included in the listing of interested persons in the pre-conference materials. You can find the profile form atgreatplainsumc.org/layandclergydelegateprofiles.

Early bird registration deadline for YOUTH 2015 end of January

Three-plus packed days of inspiring speakers and top-flight Christian musical artists await youth and youth leaders who attend YOUTH 2015 in June, but the deadline early bird registration is just a few days away.

The best possible price for the national gathering for United Methodist youth is available only until Jan. 31. The event, scheduled for June 24-28 at the Orlando World Center Marriott, is sponsored by Young People’s Ministries (YPM), a division of Discipleship Ministries and is designed specifically for youth ages 12-18.

“Attendees can plan to arrive on June 24 for kickoff activities starting at7 p.m., enjoy three full days of workshops, on-site service opportunities, prayer space, evening worship and late-night options before heading back home on June 28,” said Chris Wilterdink, Director of Program Development at YPM.

Youth leaders are responsible for registering their groups atwww.YOUTH2015.com. The early bird registration fee is $420 per person, a $30 savings over the regular cost of $450 which will apply from February through March. A deposit of $105 per person is accepted. Beginning in April, the late registration fee will be $475 per person, with only paid registrations accepted. No tickets will be available at the door.

Each registration includes four nights at the World Center Marriott, dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday, all hotel amenities and all YOUTH 2015 programming.

“I am so excited about our speaker lineup,” said Allie Wainwright, a YOUTH 2015 Design Team member from Akron, Ohio. “We invited speakers who had to have three characteristics. They needed to be: excellent presenters, relevant to the lives of young people, and United Methodist.”

More information about the speakers is available atyouth2015.com/voices

In addition to the website www.YOUTH2015.com, up-to-date information about speakers, programming, schedule and more can be found on Facebook and Twitter @youth2015.

Youth leaders who register will receive a downloadable four-session resource to help prepare their youth for the main event. A free downloadable resource for groups to use after the event will also be available.

Kansas City District hosts youth event

The Kansas City District will host a youth event in Atchison, Kansas onMarch 1, from 3-6 p.m. This year’s event will be held Jan. 25, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost is $19 per person and includes laser tag, archery tag, climbing wall, cosmic mini golf and more, followed by bingo and worship with the Rev. Kara Eidson.
Contact Nancy Carson at shawneeyouth@yahoo.com or Allison Bond atAllison@stpaulslenexa.org to register. Registration ends Feb. 22.
You can also visit the Kansas City District United Methodist Youth Ministries on Facebook and Twitter at @KCUMYOUTH.

Human sexuality task force hosts its third panel

The Connectional Table’s Human Sexuality Task Force will be hosting its third and final panel on human sexuality Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 at 10 a.m., CAT in Maputo, Mozambique. This panel will highlight the central conference perspective on our Wesleyan identity, the life of the church, and human sexuality. 
While this panel will not be live-streamed, there is an opportunity for those who wish to participate to pose questions to the panel beforehand via Twitter. On Jan. 26, 2015 at 9 p.m. EST, DreamUMC will host a Twitter chat where participants will get a glimpse of the types of questions and topics for the panel, an opportunity to answer or comment on those questions and topics and an opportunity to pose questions of their own, which will be presented to the panel. Any submitted questions will be asked of the panel during the last 20 minutes on Feb. 10. 
Human Sexuality Task Force Hosts its Third Panel
Connectional Table
The United Methodist Church
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2015
Human Sexuality Task Force Hosts its Third Panel
The Central Conference Voice on Human Sexuality and Our Wesleyan Identity
Chicago, Ill: The Connectional Table’s Human Sexuality Task Force will be hosting its third and final panel on human sexuality Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 10:00 am CAT in Maputo, Mozambique. This panel will highlight the central conference perspective on our Wesleyan identity, the life of the church, and human sexuality. 
While this panel will not be live-streamed, there is an opportunity for those who wish to participate to pose questions to the panel beforehand via Twitter. On January 26, 2015 at 9:00 pm EST, DreamUMC will host a Twitter chat where participants will get a glimpse of the types of questions and topics for the panel, an opportunity to answer or comment on those questions and topics, and an opportunity to pose questions of their own, which will be presented to the panel. Any submitted questions will be asked of the panel during the last 20 minutes on February 10. 
“We want to thank DreamUMC for helping us to provide this opportunity to reach out to our UMC connection via Twitter,” said the Rev. Amy Valdez Barker, executive secretary of the Connectional Table.
DreamUMC is a grassroots movement that arose out of General Conference 2012. They conduct biweekly chats about the mission and vision of The United Methodist Church including such topics as the role of social media in church life, racism, sexism, community engagement, domestic violence, women in ministry and more. Over 400 United Methodist clergy and laity have been involved in those chats. 
To participate in the chat, you will need a Twitter account. If you log in to your account on January 26 at 9:00 pm EST and enter the hashtag #DreamUMC in the search box, you will be able to see other posts related to the conversation. To join the conversation, simply tag your tweet with #DreamUMC. More detailed step-by-step instructions are available at dreamumc.net/2012/08/how-to-join-the-dreamumc-tweetchats.html.
The panelists for the third panel are academics and ministers in the central conferences and will bring a fresh insight to this ongoing discussion. Panelists include:
Nday Bondo: Rev. Bondo is a lecturer at Africa University (Mutare, Zimbabwe) in the Faculty of Theology and an elder of the North Katanga annual conference of the UMC in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His research area is Practical Theology in which he studies United Methodist Church Polity and Doctrine as well as Church Administration. He also teaches a course in Ethics and Christian Values, a University wide-course.
Kongolo Chijika: Married and the father of five children, Dr. Chijika completed his Ph.D. at Laval University in Quebec City in Canada. He is currently a Dean of Theology, a faculty member, and Professor of Old Testament at Katanga Methodist University in Mulungwishi, Democratic Republic of Congo. 
Israel Alvaran: Rev. Israel I. Alvaran is an ordained elder in the Philippines Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. He has served in various ministry settings as pastor, youth minister, and faculty at a United Methodist university and seminary in the Philippines. Rev. Alvaran is currently appointed to serve as Western Regional Organizer for Reconciling Ministries Network, a growing movement of United Methodists working for the full participation of all people in the life and ministry of The United Methodist Church.
Bishop Christian Alsted: Bishop Alsted has been a pastor in the United Methodist Church since 1984; 20 years were spent serving in Copenhagen. He assumed office in May 2009 and serves the seven conferences in the Nordic and Baltic Episcopal area of the Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference. He also serves on the board of directors of the General Board of Church and Society, the Commission on the General Conference, and on the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters. He is a member of the European Methodist Council, the World Methodist Council, and the Funds for Mission in Europe. 
The panel will be available for online streaming beginning February 15, 2015 by going to umc.org/connectional-table-webcast. 
###
Contact:
Any questions or comments on this panel or the two previous panels should be sent to:
Ashley Boggan, aboggan@umc.org, 773-714-1517
Note:  For more information on the two previous panels or to watch the archived videos of the panels, click here: 
April 29, 2014: umc.org/who-we-are/connectional-table-online-christian-conferencing-on-human-sexuality 
November 1, 2014: umc.org/who-we-are/connectional-table-webcast-finding-our-way-love-law-united-methodist-church 
The panel will be available for online streaming beginning Feb. 15, 2015by going to umc.org/connectional-table-webcast.

Divorce recovery conference to be held at COR, Feb. 13-14

On Feb. 13-14, a conference for women how have and are going through a divorce will be held at Church of the Resurrection (COR) in Leawood, Kansas. After the pain, anger and sleepless nights, this conference is designed for those who are recently divorced or still struggling after years.

This conference features 11 hours of encouragement, connection and recovery-boosting tools. Speakers share their expertise and RADiCAL (Rising Above Divorce In Confidence And Love) women share their stories of healing. Suzy Brown inspires and instructs attendees with insights and concrete actions that work. Plus, attendees spend the weekend with women who understand how you’re feeling instead of crying on the sofa by yourself.

Speakers and topics include Cathy Newton - “Risk It - Get RADiCAL,” Pam Davenport - “A Little More, A Little Better,” the Rev. Cheryl Bell - “Spirit@work - God IS with you” and Diane Breneman - “The Power of Peace.”

Conference includes registration packets, appetizers on Friday night and a continental breakfast, two healthy snacks and a delicious full lunch on Saturday.

Go to www.midlifedivorcerecovery.com for more information and to register. You can also contact Suzy Brown at 816-941-4911 orsuzy@midlifedivorcerecovery.com.

Registration for Wesleyan Live open

Join Wesleyan Live for a six-week webcast series of lectures given by Dr. Robert Jewett (see bio below) at the Great Plains Conference. The classes will begin on Monday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m., and continue for consecutive Monday evenings through March. 30. Each lecture will be followed by a time for questions and discussion. Total class time is one hour.

The lectures offer a new approach to the Sermon on the Mount by relating Jesus’ message to the current global situation.

Register here.

Schedule
  • Feb. 23: Unconditional Welcome into the Kingdom-of-God
  • March 2: The Kingdom-of-God Approach to Enemies
  • March 9: Overcoming Violent Zeal in the Kingdom-of-God
  • March 16: The Kingdom-of-God Approach to Self-Discipline
  • March 23: The Kingdom-of-God Approach to Religion
  • March 30: The Kingdom-of-God Approach to the Future
A live audience will gather in the Lincoln Conference office, others are encouraged to form viewing groups or watch the webcast from home. A link will be sent in your confirmation email.

Find out more information at greatplainsumc.org/wesleyanlive.

Tex Sample to present at Elkhorn Valley District leadership event

The Elkhorn Valley District will be hosting the winter leadership event “Go into the Whole World” Staying Home to Reach the World, on Feb. 28, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at First UMC in Norfolk, Nebraska. Lunch is included in the $10 cost (due that morning) and will be provided.
Tex Sample, author and Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society at The Saint Paul School of Theology, will be the featured presenter. Sample will discuss how to reach people in small town and rural Nebraska.
Contact the Elkhorn Valley District to register atelkhornvalley@greatplainsumc.org, 402-371-1313 or at PO Box 1283, Norfolk, NE, 68701.

Clergy and spouses invited to Engaged Encounter weekend

Clergy, are you too busy with ministry to allow time to do pre-marital counseling?
An Engaged Encounter weekend is designed for couples who are engaged to be married or have been married less than one year. It is a program designed for couples to prepare personally and as a couple for marriage. The focus is on the marriage, not the wedding. The major emphasis is the establishing and practice of communication and decision-making techniques the couple can use throughout their lifetime together. 
Clergy and their spouse are invited to share 24 hours together by participating in and observing an Engaged Encounter weekend. Then, you can personally recommend it to the couples who will be married in your church.   
This Engaged Encounter weekend will be held in York, Nebraska, onFeb. 27-28, 2015. The weekend will begin about 6 p.m., on Friday and conclude about 9:30 p.m., on Saturday. This weekend will be held at York First UMC, in the basement fellowship hall. Clergy who attend can also earn 1.1 CEU’s.
Each couple is invited to make their own motel reservations for Fridaynight.
For more information or questions, contact Dan and Nancy Spearow, at402-764-5411, pastordan@encounter.org or pastordan913@gmail.com.

Perkins School of Theology Merit Scholarship deadline approaches

Application fee waived until March

Prospective students who apply to Perkins of Theology by Feb. 1, 2015, are eligible to be considered for merit scholarships. Merit scholarships require a cumulative 3.2 grade point average or higher. The deadline for need-based Perkins scholarships is March 1.

Additionally, the usual $50 application fee for all prospective Master’s degree students is waived through March 1.

Perkins provides some form of financial assistance to almost 75 percent of its students each year. “A variety of fellowships, scholarships, and grants are made possible because Perkins is committed to helping students answer God’s call to ministry,” said Herbert Coleman, director of recruitment and admissions at Perkins.

For additional information, contact Herbert Coleman athcoleman@smu.edu or 214-768-2139.

Learn more about financial assistance for Perkins School of Theology students

Ministry and marriage, not an easy match

Clergy/spouse retreat April 21-23

As a minister you have three major interlocking emotional family systems to address, the family of the Church, the families in the church and your own family. When any one of those families gets anxious, they all can get anxious. Sometimes it is very difficult to know where one family ends and another begins. It is an emotional enmeshing system that naturally strains marriages and families. Your spouse subsidizes your ministry, emotionally. It is a natural strain on any marriage.

The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness is hosting this clergy/spouse retreat in the Denver area, April 21-23. This was created to help clergy and spouse gain an understanding of how those emotional systems work, how they can sabotage one another and undermine the couple and family. This experience is scheduled after Easter 2015, one of the more intense times for clergy and their spouse.

This program is almost three years in the making. Julia Munson, the daughter of a United Methodist minister, the wife of an Episcopal priest, a psychotherapist/coach and who attended the Center with the idea of creating this retreat together with Bill Selby, creator of the Center.

Attendees will reflect on the emotional enmeshment of the church and the pastoral family and consider some healthy or healthier ways to address it. Yes, this is some Family Systems but, no, it won’t go deep into Systems. The necessary understandings about how clearer self-definition, both within your relationship and with your church, can enhance any relationship, any family will be touched. At the same time, from your understandings of systems you also know systemically how clearer self-definition with people in the church will get sabotaged. So time will be taken reflect on that and on ways that it can be addressed. Whether new to the ministry or close to retirement, both of you will gain from this experience.

To register, or for more information, email Bill Selby at integrity4u@comcast.net.

M. L. King Jr. taught transformation from evil into good is possible

Study guide for the movie “Selma” and reflections



“It would be helpful to view the film ‘Selma’ not with chips on our shoulders or a wish to revise the history that is being depicted in the film, but rather with the purpose of engaging in meaningful, vital conversations, which is best done with open hearts and open minds,” writes the Rev. Gillbert H. Caldwell. Caldwell is a retired United Methodist pastor who was active in the Massachusetts unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and participated in the civil rights movement throughout the nation. He shares from history and his own experiences to help guide discussions:
“The Selma to Montgomery March took place in 1965. When viewing the film and engaging in conversations with others, please note that in 1963 two Methodist bishops, along with other white clergy, posted a newspaper statement asking Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to leave Birmingham to allow them to resolve their racial issues. Dr. King's ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ was his response to those members of the clergy.” 
Reflecting on the racism that is encountered today in the U.S., Caldwell emphasizes that racial nightmares can be turned into dreams. But the evil has to be acknowledged before it can be transformed.
“We in the United States tend to avoid recognizing the nightmare realities of our racism. We too often will talk as though the legacy of nearly 250 years of North American race-based slavery is long past and not relevant to this country today. But it’s not as distant from today as some might think.
“My grandfather, J. Edward Caldwell, was born into bondage on April 15, 1863, on the Caldwell Plantation in North Carolina. Caldwell was not the name of his slave father, but in keeping with the custom, he was named with the last name of the plantation owner.
“I share this because I have realized the history of slavery and racial segregation does not have the meaning for most people that it has for me. My son, Dale, believes that one of the reasons we in the United States have so much of the tension and debate on matters of race is that we do not seek to ‘walk in the shoes’ of those whose history and experience is different from our own.”
File photo by Maile Bradfield, UMNS
The Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell answers questions during a 2008 panel discussion held across the street from the Fort Worth (Texas) Convention Center, site of the 2008 United Methodist General Conference.

Turning racial nightmares into dreams

A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell
Jan. 15, 2015 | ASBURY PARK, N.J.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us that we can transform evil into good. God enables us to do that.
King had good biblical basis for this belief. Joseph in Genesis 50:19 says to the brothers who sold him into slavery, “You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it.”
As with Joseph’s brothers, we first have to acknowledge the evil before we, through God, can transform it.
We in the United States tend to avoid recognizing the nightmare realities of our racism. We too often will talk as though the legacy of nearly 250 years of North American race-based slavery is long past and not relevant to this country today. But it’s not as distant from today as some might think.
My grandfather, J. Edward Caldwell, was born into bondage on April 15, 1863, on the Caldwell Plantation in North Carolina. Caldwell was not the name of his slave father, but in keeping with the custom, he was named with the last name of the plantation owner.
I share this because I have realized the history of slavery and racial segregation does not have the meaning for most people that it has for me. My son, Dale, believes that one of the reasons we in the United States have so much of the tension and debate on matters of race is that we do not seek to “walk in the shoes” of those whose history and experience is different from our own.

Personal experience

Here is part of my own experience with racism.
Years ago, I became pastor of two white-membership churches in Massachusetts. I became their first African-American pastor. Before my wife, Grace, and I arrived, one family let their friends in the church know that they were leaving the congregation because they did not want a black clergyman as their pastor.
My one visit to them was one of my most difficult visits as a clergyman. But I wanted to explore with them what was it in their history/experience that caused them to leave the church before I arrived? They had never, particularly with someone who was black, explored the influences that made them do what they did. Although they never returned to the congregation while I was there, I heard through the grapevine that my visit and our conversation caused them to engage in introspection they had not done before.
When I read of “Islamic terrorism,” I think of the “Christian terrorism” of the Ku Klux Klan. They paraded with their burning crosses, sung their hymns and invited people to view the lynchings of blacks. I have in my possession pictures of adults and children gathered to watch the proceedings. 
I think of those four little black girls who in September 1963, following the March on Washington that August, were killed in the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. I wish that there had been a national outpouring of people of all colors and creeds, carrying signs that said, “I am those four little black girls.”
It is not to minimize the recent terrorism in France or Nigeria by remembering other acts of terrorism, much closer to home. Rather, daring to acknowledge the similarities of human injustice, whenever and wherever it takes place, is to move us to King's dream of worldwide community.

Valuing all lives

In the current worldwide community, black and white individuals have encountered very different experiences in church, with law enforcement and across much of American life.
Since the death of Michael Brown, you’ve seen protesters carry signs that say “Black Lives Matters.” The assassination of two New York police officers in December prompted signs that say “Police Lives Matter.”
I contend and believe you do as well that, “Black Lives Matter; Police Lives Matter; All Lives Matter.” 
Part of valuing all lives is recognizing the experiences that shape them.
My hope in 2015 is that each of us in The United Methodist Church will dare to speak and share our truth, knowing that truth-telling by some people is viewed by others as being divisive, because they do not take the time to understand what experiences and influences shaped the truths of people different from themselves.
I will be speaking this Sunday at Second Baptist Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and on the holiday that honors King at United Methodist-related Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. In both places, my theme will be: “Martin Luther King transformed racial nightmares into racial dreams, and so must we.”
“A true revolution of value will cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies,” is what Martin Luther King writes in his last book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?”
One reality of living for as long as I have is to possess within my being memories of our nation’s racial past: the nightmares as well as the dreams that supplanted those nightmares.
Maya Angelou has written words that I have found empowering and comforting:
You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with
your hatefulness, But still like air I'll rise ...
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dreams and the hopes of the slave.
I rise, I rise, I rise.
Caldwell is a retired elder and member of the Rocky Mountain Conference. A member of the board of the African-American Methodist Heritage Center, he lives in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

News media contact: Heather Hahn at newsdesk@umcom.org or (615) 742-5470  
Photo: The Rev. Gillbert H. Caldwell.

Faith and public policy

Legislative Briefing Day in Lincoln, Feb. 14

Come together with the ecumenical faith community to explore issues in the state of Nebraska such as poverty, immigration and creation care.

All are encouraged to be an informed citizen and maybe an activist for issues important to Nebraska and its future.

Legislative Briefing Day, will be held Saturday, Feb. 14, 8:30 a.m. -2 p.m., at Christ UMC in Lincoln (46th and A) near Bryan Hospital.

Don't worry, the event will end by 2 p.m., so there will still be plenty of time to do the "chocolates and roses" thing.

View the brochure or call 402-476-3391 for more information.

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To submit a letter to the editor, send it to info@greatplainsumc.org.
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