Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church "GP Connect" for Wednesday, 7 January 2015

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Mission Share deadline is tomorrow

All 2014 remittances must be postmarked Jan. 8, 2015, or earlier, and must clearly be marked with “December 2014.” Money postmarked afterJan. 8, will be considered 2015 money regardless of how the remittance is marked. Tips for submitting final payment:
  • Do not hand deliver to the bank. They will not be able to process the payment.
  • Verify that the total of your remittance form and the check amount agree.
  • Make check payable to Great Plains Conference.
  • If you are mailing, be sure to allow extra mail time to ensure delivery by deadline. Exceptions will not be made for mail delayed by the postal service.
  • If you are unable to meet the mailing deadline, contact the office in Topeka (877-972-9111) to authorize a one-time automatic debit out of your church account. You must turn in the ACH withdrawal form no later than 10 a.m., Jan. 7, to ensure the payment is received at the bank by the deadline.
Mission Share letters for 2015 are already posted on the website. Remittance forms for 2015 will be loaded after Jan. 8, 2015.

Workers compensation insurance premiums due this Saturday

Schifman, Remley & Associates (SRA) has sent the renewal certificates and billings to all local churches on the Conference Workers’ Compensation Insurance Policy. Make sure to pay the premium no later than this Satuday, Jan. 10. Send premiums directly to: Schifman, Remley at P.O. Box 2726, Mission, KS 66201. If you have questions on the billing, contact Karen Hoskins at 913-236-3015.
For the former Kansas East churches, packets were mailed to all local churches for their property/casualty and Workers’ Compensation insurance. Again, have premiums paid no later than Jan. 10. Contact Schifman, Remley and Associates and ask for Karen Hoskins, Sue Courtney or Carol Stevens if you did not receive a packet. Their toll free number is 800-304-9852 or 913-831-1777. 

The OneEvent rings in the new year

The OneEvent for 2015 was a success with more than 1,200 people from across the Great Plains making the trek to Grand Island, Nebraska, in spite of the harsh winter weather. A detailed recap will be in next week's GPconnect and posted to our website. Check out the photos we've posted on Facebook and Flickr.

Immigration webcast open to all Great Plains congregations

Learn about new program announced by President Obama

“Who's In and Who's Out: A Conversation about Immigration” will stream at GreatPlainsUMC.org/livestream on Friday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. Join us to learn how we can help our neighbors keep their families together. All laity and clergy across the Great Plains Conference are welcome.
Justice For Our Neighbors Executive Director Emiliano Lerda has a video invitation for all Great Plains United Methodists to participate in this LIVE webcast. You and your church can help people in your community avoid victimization by unscrupulous attorneys or others who will try to take advantage of this situation and spread misinformation.
  • Watch a 2-minute video that succinctly explains President Obama's executive action on immigration.
  • Download a 2-page flier in English or in Spanish which outlines the two programs, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA).
  • NEW: Download a graphic that can be used as a bulletin insert or distributed as needed to show options for immigrant families. It's available in Spanish and English.
All of our immigration resources are posted at GreatPlainsUMC.org/ImmigrationResources.

Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation will be April 12-17

Special invitation from Bishop Scott Jones

Our Great Plains Annual Conference continues to have outstanding spiritual formation events. In 2015 the Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation will be held at St. Benedict’s Center near Schuyler, Nebraska on April 12-17. Rev. Grace Imathiu and Dr. Wendy Wright will be the presenters for the celebration of the 25th Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation in Nebraska.
Rev. Grace Imathiu was born, educated and ordained in the Methodist church in Kenya and served the congregations in Nkubu and Lavington, Kenya. She has also served in Richland, Washington; Delaware, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; and Green Bay and Brown Deer, Wisconsin. As a preacher and Bible study teacher, Rev. Imathiu is in constant demand all around the world including many conferences in the United Methodist connection. She will present on the topic of “My Story in God’s Story.”
Dr. Wendy M. Wright is a Professor of Theology at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. She also teaches in several graduate ministerial programs including Creighton’s Christian Spirituality Master’s program and the United Methodist Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation. Her expertise is the area of the history of spirituality, family spirituality, spiritual direction and the Catholic devotional tradition. Dr. Wright will present on the topic of “What IS there about Mary?”
The Five Day Academy offers laity and clergy an opportunity to spend five days in a retreat setting with two excellent presenters, silent reflection, plenary discussion, community and free time. The academy model was developed by the Upper Room of the United Methodist Church and offers quality worship, study, rest and renewal. It offers opportunity to deepen our relationship with God and grow in our spiritual leaders.
For more information, please contact Dr. Carol Roettmer Brewer atcrbrewer@greatplainsumc.org. Space is limited so please register immediately. Limited scholarships for laity are available.
The Upper Room has also announced the upcoming Two Year Academy for Spiritual Formation at St. Benedict beginning in August of 2016. For more information go to academy.upperroom.org. The Two Year Academy offers an in-depth time of worship, study, reflection and covenant group for five days every three months. There are people in our Annual Conference who have completed the Two Year Academy. Rev. Don Bredthauer will be glad to offer more information; his email address is breddb@cox.net.
http://gp-email.brtapp.com/files/gpconnect/2015/01.07/fivedayacademyletterfromthebishop.pdf

Chuck Knows Church launches new show Jan. 12

Chuck Knows Church is expanding to a new series, and this time Chuck is on a church committee.
The Committee, a humorous and thought provoking online series produced by Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church, premiers Jan. 12. In it, the fictitious Park Grove Community Church has lost its way, lost its pastor and is closing its doors ... unless despite itself, it finds a new way of doing church with the help of Chuck. Can it become a vital congregation again?
With 4,000 churches closing their doors each year, the questions are important ones. Should an underperforming church shut its doors or reinvent itself? However, all congregations will find the subjects addressed in the series relevant for their ministries.
The Committee examines the struggles congregations face as they look toward a preferred future and uses real world topics to hopefully stimulate discussions in local churches.
Designed for both individual viewing and group study, each free episode also has a free downloadable study guide. A new video is released each month on YouTube and announced on the Chuck Knows Church Facebook page. Subjects promise to be thought-provoking and discussion worthy. Each episode is approximately 10-13 minutes.
“Chuck Knows Church is one of the most successful programs our agency produces,” said Steve Horswill-Johnston, executive director of communications at Discipleship Ministries. “In the original series, Chuck Knows Church attracts up to 50,000 views per week.
“For the new series, we have the same lead character, Chuck, but this time he is working on a committee with recognizable church member types. He makes some keen observations and asks some hard questions of the committee members, forcing them to determine just what ‘church’ is and if theirs is worth saving,” Horswill-Johnson said.
The popularity of Chuck Knows Church is due in part to its presence on a variety of social media platforms:
The original Chuck Knows Church series will continue, in addition to The Committee.

Great Plains Resource Center offers Chuck Knows Church

The Great Plains Resource Center offers the three Chuck Knows Church DVDs. Each DVD holds 25 episodes of the Chuck Knows Church series, with each lasting a few minutes. If you are interested in checking out a Chuck Knows Church DVD, contact Diane Dunkerson, resource center director, at ddunkerson@greatplainsumc.org or 800-435-6107.

Annual membership offered for Great Plains Resource Center

In 2015 the Great Plains Resource Center will again be offering amembership plan for all United Methodist churches in the Great Plains Conference as well as ecumenical partner churches in Nebraska. Diane Dunkerson, Great Plains Resource Center director, is pleased to announce that membership fees will remain at the 2014 level for the 2015 calendar year.
For an annual membership fee a church can borrow an unlimited number of resources from the Great Plains Resource Center for that calendar year. For example, using the chart from the membership application form, if your average weekly worship attendance is 36-70, $80 a year would let any group in your church (children-adult ages), borrow DVD studies without having to pay per use – and you won’t have to worry about keeping track of individual invoices. Please note that normally the use of one DVD study is approximately $10.
The goal of offering this membership option is to encourage and expand the use of the wonderful studies available at the Great Plains Resource Center and to reduce the cost of sending and processing individual invoices. Please consider this annual fee option for 2015 for your church and encourage church leaders, Sunday school teachers and youth leaders to explore the wonderful Christian studies that are available to them. The resource center was created to make these studies affordable and available to churches big and small.
Please note that if your church chooses not to apply for a membership, the usage rates for individual DVD studies will remain the same for 2015 at $7 per usage plus postage. Please send your membership applicationand payment to the Great Plains Resource Center by March 1, 2015. If you have questions contact Dunkerson atddunkerson@greatplainsumc.org or call her at 800-435-6107.
You will be able to register and pay for the annual membership online later this month. Please watch for a date when online registration will be open.

Nebraska United Methodist Foundation to raise money for camps in Nebraska

In a newsletter sent out on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation announced that a fundraising goal of $50,000 was set to support Camp Norwesca, Camp Comeca and Camp Fontanelle, in Nebraska. The goal is in honor of the foundation’s anniversary of 50 years of service.
Over the next few months, the foundation will highlight each camp and giving all the opportunity to get involved and help reach the goal.
Read the newsletter that announces the fundraising goal and highlights Camp Comeca, near Cozad, Nebraska.
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation
Your Partner In Ministry 
January 2015
From the Foundation Staff
  
As we begin a new year, we look back with gratitude and thank all the churches and folks who have supported our mission. The new year is an exciting one for the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation, as we are celebrating 50 years of service!

In honor of this special anniversary, the NUMF Board of Directors has voted to establish a fundraising goal of $50,000 to support the Methodist Camps of Norwesca, Comeca and Fontanelle in Nebraska.

These camps need your help to improve their facilities, provide more scholarships and stay competitive with other camps that do not provide an opportunity for youth to be closer to God.  Not only do these camps serve Methodists - they also offer their facilities to other religious and nonprofit organizations, corporations, families and individuals, providing true support of the community.

Over the next few months, we will be highlighting each camp and giving YOU an opportunity to get involved and help reach our goal.  If you believe in our Methodist ministry and believe in our youth, please prayerfully consider making a gift to this special fund. The fund will be carefully invested and will provide a lasting legacy of support for the camps.

With gratitude from Anita, Jim and Rosanne
Meet Camp Comeca
Camp Comeca is a wonderful example of how a donor with passion and vision can create a unique place of spiritual and physical benefit to people of all ages. Established in 1950, a generous donor created a trust to help maintain the hotel portion of the camp. 
As you drive down gravel roads
surrounded by cornfields near Cozad, a high bluff suddenly appears almost out of nowhere and you wind around to the top to see beautiful brick buildings and a view like no other in Nebraska.

This camp not only has a real hotel with 20 rooms, en-suite bathrooms and 53 beds, they also have three dorms with capacity of 20 - 44, and 11 cabins with room for 15-20 in each. Available activities include an indoor heated pool, lake and canoes, tennis courts, full sized gym, low ropes challenge course, archery, hiking and biking trails, horseback riding and even a zipline.

But for Randy Fleming, former board member of NUMF, the greatest benefit of the camps goes far beyond providing wonderful summer programs  for kids. "I never went to camp as a kid, and sure wished I could have. But when I joined the United Methodist Men as as adult, I attended my first retreat at Camp Comeca." That experience had a profound effect on Randy.  He says, "Not only did I connect with a higher power, I was able to connect with great men of integrity. I've served over 25 years with UMM, and those retreats were the best experiences I have ever been a part of in the Methodist church."

Randy has already made a donation to support the camps in honor of NUMF's 50th Anniversary.  "I gave because I want to help Fontanelle and Norwesca update their facilities, and help Comeca advertise so more folks can discover them.  And because I believe in NUMF. They know how to invest and manage the gifts raised for this fund to help keep the camps going for many years."

If you are interested in making a gift, please call NUMF at 1-877-495-5545 or go towww.numf.org./donate.html
 
Church of
the Month:
Long Pine, NE
NUMF Milestones
1958
Hilmer Olson donated real estate to support new church starts - Extension Foundation formed to oversee funds 

June 15, 1965
The Nebraska Methodist Foundation was incorporated in the
State of Nebraska

1966
Norman Kauble appointed as Director of Field Services

1968
Nebraska Methodist Foundation changed name to Nebraska United Methodist Foundation

1978
Fred Roberts appointed asDirector of Stewardship and Estate Planning 

1983
Fred Roberts retired and Rev. Cecil Lackore appointed as Executive Director

January Celebrations
 
Happy Birthday!

Richard V. Odgers 1/3
Sonia Holbrook  1/4
Florence Hughes  1/5
Carolyn Boomer 1/8
Sylvia Stearns 1/20

Happy Anniversary! 

James & Rev. Martha Voight 1/29

Have we missed your birthday or anniversary?  Please let us know!   
'Reply' to this e-note so we can recognize you on your special day. 

Let's Get Better Acquainted!  
 Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

 View our profile on LinkedIn 
Contact Information
NUMF Logo - Red
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation
100 W. Fletcher Ave., Ste. 100
Lincoln, NE 68521
Phone: 877-495-5545

Great Plains Conference offers summer internships

Applications are now available for Great Plains Summer Internships and Programs. Young adults (18 and older) can use their gifts and explore leadership for 10 life-changing weeks. Internships available include:
Pastoral Leadership (new)
Experience the ministry of the local church by shadowing a pastor for 10 weeks this summer. The intern will have the opportunity to observe, reflect and join in the pastoral ministry of the church as an apprentice.

Other Internships: 

Micah Corps
Learn about connecting your faith with social justice and practice leadership skills by visiting, researching and presenting key social justice topics throughout the Great Plains.
Vacation Bible School
Lead vacation Bible school, paint a house, visit the elderly in a new community every week, while experiencing life-changing, faith-deepening opportunities.
Youth Interns
Explore youth ministry in a local church by being mentored and assisting leadership of a youth ministry throughout the summer.
Hispanic Ministry
Explore leadership in the dynamic landscape of Hispanic Ministry. Work with local churches who are bridging cultural, linguistic and generational gaps. Come alongside other young leaders in Hispanic Ministry through "HYLA" (Hispanic Youth Leadership Academy).
Camp Counselors
Spend the summer guiding students in an intentional community and throughout camp creation. Students range from first grade through high school seniors. Choose to spend the summer at one of six camps.
Find information about all of the internships at www.greatplainsumc.org/internships. You can also download a flier. 

Registration open for Lewis Center for Church Leadership’s 2015 Serve Your Neighbor conference

Doing Good Well, is the theme for the 2015 Lewis Center for Church Leadership Service Your Neighbor conference. The conference will be held Saturday, March 7, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., in Washington, DC.
Vital congregations are increasingly committed to serving others through mission. And congregations are asking whether their good intentions always yield good results. Doing Good Well, this year’s Serve Your Neighbor conference, explores the fruitfulness of mission efforts and provides practical strategies to make sure your mission hits the mark.
Doing Good Well is ecumenical and designed for both laity and clergy. Presenters include Dr. C. Anthony Hunt, Dr. Asa Lee, Dr. David McAllister-Wilson, Jake McGlothin, Dr. Ann Michel, Kim Mitchel and Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

Presentations and Workshops

  • Doing Good Well through Mission
  • What is God Doing in Our Midst?
  • Best Practices for Mission Trips
  • Building Genuine and Effective Mission Partnerships
  • Identifying Real Community Needs
  • Maximizing the Impact of Your Church’s Donations of Goods
  • Measuring Success: A New Mission Scorecard
  • Spiritual Growth through Mission Participation
If interested in bringing conference presentations and workshops home to your church, resources are available. This includes videos, narrated presentations, outlines of key points and supplementary materials. Currently the price is marked down from $75, to $60 through March 7. Resources are available in DVD/CD and downloadable formats. Learn more.
Early-bird registration through Feb. 9 is $40; plus .5 Clergy CEU is $50. Regular registration is $55; plus .5 Clergy CEU is $65. Wesley Seminary student registration is $20.

Engaged Encounter weekend date set for York, Nebraska

There will be an Engaged Encounter weekend at York First UMC in York, Nebraska, Feb. 27-28. The weekend will begin at 6 p.m. on Fridayand it ends about 9:30 pm on Saturday.
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. 
Couples or clergy interested in attending should sign up as soon as possible. Download a flier with information on registering and more details on the weekend.
To find dates of other Engaged Encounter weekends, visitwww.engagedencounter.org.

A letter every pastor should read

The Rev. Nancy Lambert, director of Clergy Excellence often receives questions like what does clergy excellence mean or what determines if a clergy person is excellent. “In a nutshell, excellence is about leadership and faithfulness," said Lambert.
"I heard Dr. Kim Cape, general secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, speak several months ago and she said that ‘we are not ordained to please people and be liked, but we are ordained to lead and to order the church so that the Holy Spirit can work.’ Living this out is a great way to begin a new year," said Lambert.
Lambert suggests reading the blog post A Letter I Wish Ever Pastor Would Read, written by a lay person. The post emphasizes that clergy need to lead. "Check it out, and have an excellent year,” said Lambert.

A letter I wish every Pastor would read

In People by Patrick ScrivenDecember 18, 201423 Comments
    Dear Pastor,
As understanding as some of us might be, we need you to lead because we’re not all quite so reasonable.
WWe need you to lead. Most of us good people in the pews know that leadership is a difficult task. Many of us have day jobs that require similar things from us, so we get how difficult it can be to inspire and motivate, to placate and administrate. As understanding as some of us might be, we need you to lead because we’re not all quite so reasonable.
If it appears that you are driving our proverbial car (the church) into the ditch it’s likely because we (the laity) set it on fire. When you fail to lead us our creativity, energy, and passion for the church begins to feel like a poor investment.
We need you to lead with sincerity rooted in a deep experience of our faith lived out. It’s not enough for you to talk about the things which get a person closer to God, you actually need to practice them. It’s not our place to tell you which things to do, or what things to avoid; don’t let us. But we need to see that your life is different than ours in ways that literally reek of the Gospel. Again, the sane among us don’t mind that our pastors are imperfect people but we may notice if you are a total mess.
We need to see that God is bigger than our politics.
We need you to lead in ways that move beyond cheap partisanship and model holy relationship. As excited as we might be at first, we will tire of sermons ripped straight from Fox News or MSNBC. We don’t need to see you win a public debate. We need to see that your faith is mature enough to allow you to see, and seek out, the person beyond the ideology. We need to see that God is bigger than our politics.
We need you to lead forward and outward. We lay folks are like hobbits. We tend to like things that are comfortable and familiar. But in our comfort we are likely to fall asleep, literally and figuratively, as if we’ve just enjoyed second breakfast. Be our Gandalf and challenge us to adapt and change with the times and remind us that God loves us no more than the people outside of our comfortable hobbit holes. But when you do so, remember that we aren’t the enemy, and that patience is one of those spiritual gifts of which Saint Paul spoke.
No one wants to be on a sinking ship…
We need you to lead beyond fear and anxiety. No one wants to be on a sinking ship but they might be willing to accept a slow cruise if the toilets are all working. Despairing over the church budget may move some us to the urgency you hope to inspire but we’d much rather hear about the amazing weather at some tropical locale where we are going. Be our captain and navigator and count on us to repair the hull and to kick tale at shuffleboard.
We need you to lead with boldness and hope. Start some new things from time to time but try to invest at least as much hope in the crazy ideas we might bring to the table. And when an innovation fails, stop looking for someone to blame; that sort of negativity will make it less likely that you’ll try something again and may burn some bridges unnecessarily.
We need you to lead with honesty. We love to hear how amazing we are, just like the next person, but when the church is literally crumbling down around us, we get that we’re in the spin zone. Thanks for keeping it positive but our discipleship, personal and corporate, also requires a certain amount of honesty.
Finally, we need you to lead with emotional intelligence. Our pastors can present the most amazing vision for what could be, but if they can’t understand and deeply listen to what is going on in the life of the congregation, very few of us are likely to respond.
Agree or disagree? Leave a comment below and thanks for sharing!
AUTHOR INFO

Patrick Scriven

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I'm a husband who married well, a father of three amazing girls, and a seminary educated lay person working professionally in the church.

TiM blog offers associate pastor’s reflection on program

The Transition into Ministry (TiM) Program is designed to assist young pastors in making the transition from seminary to effective full-time pastoral leadership. The TiM associates offer weekly blogs sharing their experiences.
This week, the Brenda Kostner, currently serving her fist year at Stilwell (Kansas) UMC shares her thoughts in “On Pastoral Authority: It’s a (Long) Process.” Read Kostner’s blog.

"On Pastoral Authority: It's a (Long) Process"

Pastor Brenda Kostner is currently serving as a TIM associate pastor at Stillwell United Methodist Church, Stillwell, Kansas (2014-2016).
Whenever I consider the phrase pastoral authority, I flashback to my first year in seminary, to an early morning class called “Pastor and People”- a survey of pastoral roles and congregation dynamics. I had chosen that class as my practical class. Having just finished my undergraduate degree in history, I was ready to move out of history and theory and actually doministry. This class proved to be a good choice as my schedule that year was filled by Christian History, Old and New Testament, Theology and the sort.
The class was mostly upperclassmen which was intimidating, and suddenly I realized that I was indeed in seminary because the professor wanted to open the class with a devotion and prayer- and he expected each of us to lead one week. As eager as I was to prove myself, I also felt increasingly unprepared. So many of the other students had been serving in churches, preaching, leading Bible studies and here I was fresh from public university in Kansas still just trying to figure out the train schedules in Chicago.
My turn came to give the devotion. I do not remember what passage it was, though it was from Paul’s writings. I was so nervous; I doubt I slept much the night before. I don’t remember much more than standing in front of the class reading through my devotion. Later the professor would say to me that I had very good thoughts but I needed to present them not apologetically but with confidence. I don’t remember if he used the phrase pastoral authority but that experience has always been linked to it for me. Where do I find confidence and pastoral voice?
I am now nearly six months into my first appointment as an associate pastor. While there are still days that I feel more like an intern than a pastor (the comments of ‘you will be a great pastor someday’ do not help), every day I am developing that confidence and pastoral identity. Truly, now more so than in seminary, does the issue of pastoral authority take on a new and even more pertinent role. Suddenly, I have moved beyond theory to praxis. So I spend time wondering how I can dress and style my hair so that I might look older (and not like a youth), cringe when I use the word ‘totally’ in a sermon (knowing that it makes me sound young) and hope that more often than not I convey confidence and not the “oh my, I’ve never done this before!” panic that is happening in my head.
However, over these first few months, there are moments which reflecting back on, I know I walked away from with a greater sense of confirmation that I am in the right space and God has indeed gifted me for this great work of a pastor. I wish to recount some of those moments to you.
Back in October, I experienced my first hospital call. Awake at 4:30am, I made it downtown to the hospital by a little after 6 in the morning. As I walked toward the family in the waiting room, the look on the face of the wife said it all. I was unprepared for the very visceral reaction of comfort that my presence brought to her face. Then as we stood in the preparation room and took a moment to pray for the individual before he was taken away to the operating room, I felt so privileged to be the one praying to God for God’s hand to be with those in the operating room and God’s presence to be with those waiting. It was a holy and humbling moment.
This may seem strange, but one of my favorite parts of the worship service is being able to give the benediction. As an associate, I get that privilege on the Sundays which I preach. It’s that moment of raising of my hands, almost embracing the congregation, and asking that the Lord may bless them and keep them the coming week. It is a holy act invoking a blessing onto God’s people.
With the Kansas City District UMW having their fall meeting at Stilwell, I had the opportunity to preside over communion for their worship service. As I read the section asking God to, “pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine” I realized that it was the first time I had ever said them. I almost stumbled over my words right there! To be blessing the sacrament for the gathered community as we remembered God’s presence with us and sacrifice for us. It was a holy moment.
Finally, just a couple of weeks ago, I was back home visiting family (west of Wichita) when the Saturday after Thanksgiving they got a call that the pastor was sick and would not be at worship the next morning. While there is a lay speaker at the church, she asked if I would like to give the sermon. At 11:30 on Saturday night, I experienced another holy moment as the words I needed to speak flowed from mind and heart to pen and paper (okay, iphone notes, but that ruins the metaphor). That next morning as I preached, it reminded me of the beauty of the connectional system of the church. My identity as pastor is not restricted to one community (except for sacramental authority as a licensed pastor, yes) but is an identity that I carry with me everywhere.
I am still a pastor when helping with the senior high youth at a local food pantry, regardless of how I ‘look just like the students.’ I am still a pastor when at a UMW event at another church someone remembers me as the young pastor who presided over communion at the fall district event. I am still a pastor when I’m home with family and a pastor gets sick. It is a humbling and holy moment when I remember that I indeed am a sign of God’s presence wherever I go.
While I continue to wrestle with what exactly this thing called pastoral authority means, I have confidence that I am experiencing glimpses of it in these holy moments. I never know when I will stumble upon one of these moments but I praise God for giving me grace and confidence to step into each experience with humility and maybe a touch of that pastoral authority.
Past articles authored by TiM pastors can be viewed on the Great Plains website. Learn more about the TiM Program.

UMC in Tennessee burns to the ground, needs prayer

Please pray for the members of Trinity UMC in Flatbush, Tennessee. Fire consumed their church building early this morning. The Rev. John Reid Bonson wrote, "The bell still works. God is not finished with Trinity. Plans to restore fellowship hall first, meet there while further plans are made. Praying for discernment and thanksgiving for some parts remaining."

Space available with mission trip to Peru

Mentor (Kansas) UMC still has space available on their Wheels in Motion Mission Trip to Peru, March 13-23. Participants will work in Lima at CASP (Centro Ann Sullivan de Peru), a school for children of different abilities. This school was started by Liliana Mayo, Ph.D., who did her graduate work at Kansas University, then returned to her native Peru to start this school with about eight students in her garage. CASP now has more than 300 students in modern facilities, and does seminars in outlying districts and even internationally.
Other than the original donation of property for their building, they receive no government aid and rely on parental volunteers to assist the teachers. They serve children with a variety of disabilities, but refuse to use the word disability, focusing instead on what each child CAN do.
Wheelchairs are hard to come by in Peru. A child sitting in an adult chair risks developing scoliosis from slumping to the side. The group from Mentor UMC will take braces, wheelchair parts and a wheelchair expert to properly seat some of the students at CASP.
If you are interested in participating in this trip, call Rita Tinkler at 785-826-6121.

Team leader training for VIM open for registration

Every mission experience offers opportunity to learn and grow and do things better. That’s why the Mercy and Justice Ministry continues to organize Volunteers in Mission team leader training. The training will offer participants some new resources on how to have long term impact when engaged in missions and improve their cross-cultural skills. The Mercy and Justice Ministry has some limited scholarships to support domestic and international mission experiences that teams can apply for. The priority is to equip team leaders to create spirit-filled and culturally relevant mission experiences for their teams.
Who can attend the training? 
Anyone who wants to learn more about leading mission experiences or those who have been leading mission experiences and want to refresh their mission and cultural practices.
Where can I get one of the books on the reading list? 
If you register a month before the training, you will receive one book free of charge.
What if our congregation has more than four persons interested to attend the training, but all the trainings scheduled are more than two hours away?
If you have more than four participants and your church is located far away (has to be more than two hours) from the scheduled trainings, a training can be hosted at your church.
If you have any questions, contact the Rev. Kalaba Chali, Mercy and Justice coordinator, at kchali@greatplainsumc.org or 316-684-0266.

Angel to Angel Project provides cards of care and prayer

Church World Services invites church groups and individual church members to write cards of caring to be sent to the mothers and children who have fled extreme violence in Central America and crossed our southern border seeking safety, sanctuary and asylum.
Many across the Great Plains Conference have been looking for ways to help show God’s love and live out the mandate to welcome the stranger and several have already participated in this writing of cards in the past months. And the project continues.
The number of persons in detention in the U.S. is extremely high growing from less than 6,300 beds available in 1996 to a capacity of over 33,000 beds now. The need to advocate and work for comprehensive immigration reform continues. To learn more about the current immigration situation, you can participate in the upcoming webcast on Jan. 16.
Joya Colon-Berezin, ecumenical relations coordinator of the Immigration and Refugee Program of Church World Service, gives us an update about the Angel to Angel Project as the Artesia Center in New Mexico closed at the end of December with some of the mothers and children having been transferred to the new South Texas Family Residential Center opening in Dilley Texas.
“The Center began to accept residents on Friday, Dec. 19. We will begin to recruit volunteers for the Center in Texas in the coming weeks. Please note: this will not affect the Angels-to-Angels letter writing program. Angels-to-Angels will continue on for the foreseeable future, and any cards sent to Artesia will be automatically forwarded to the South Texas Family Residential Center. Any cards written from now on should be sent directly to Texas.”
The mothers and children do not have much contact with the outside world. Knowing that people of faith care about them and hold them in prayer can be a powerful sign for them that they are loved and not alone. Cards can be written in English or Spanish.
Click these links for more information, including the address where to send the cards to, in English and in Spanish.
Photo: Cards completed by parishioners at Park Avenue Christian Church in Manhattan, NY. Photo by Will Haney.

News from Epworth Village

Epworth Village recipient of Cooper Foundation funds

Epworth Village residential manager, Carey Stutzman, along with two Epworth Village clients, were presented a check for $1,025 recently by Midwest Bank. The funds were awarded through a grant from the James B. and Lillian F. Cooper Foundation and will be used to purchase a set of soccer goals and anchors for the campus.
Afternoons, when the weather allows, Epworth Village youth enjoy a pick-up game of basketball or kicking a soccer ball around on the lawns of the 125 year-old grounds. The soccer goals will be a great addition to campus, according to Marcia Schlegelmilch, public relations/fundraising coordinator, who wrote the grant.
“The goals will be used and appreciated. The kids are looking forward to getting out and playing some soccer. We thank the Cooper Foundation for their investment in the communities they serve,” Schlegelmilch added.
The over-size check should lead to some over-size fun for the young men served by Epworth Village, a nation mission of the United Methodist Women. Epworth Village was one of several local agencies benefiting from the awards.
Photo: Epworth Village residential manager, Carey Stutzman (second from right) and two Epworth Village clients received a gift recently from Midwest Bank employees Mike Gleason (left) and Elena Rivera (right). 

Reynolds re-appointed to active missionary status

Harrietta Reynolds, CEO of Epworth Village, has received notice of her re-appointment to active status as a missionary through the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church and she says it is a very good thing.
“Being appointed as mission personnel serving right here in Nebraska provides a connection to the whole church. Serving at the Epworth Village mission site connects us to the entire church … the body of Christ,” Reynolds explains.
It was 1976 when Reynolds was first commissioned as a missionary. Over the years she served missions in eight states and the U.S. Virgin Islands before retiring in 2009.
Her appointment by Bishop Scott Jones of the Great Plains Conference is a full-time appointment.
Epworth Village is a National Mission Institution of the United Methodist Church. Epworth Village, Inc., is non-profit agency based in York, Nebraska. From its beginning as an orphanage in the 1880's, the mission of Epworth Village has been to bring hope and healing to children and families in the name of Christ.

Newsletters

Classifieds

View this classified and more at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.

Press Clips

Congregations across the Great Plains Conference are making the news in their local newspapers. View our newspaper clipping reports to see if there are stories, ideas and ministry happenings you can learn from to use in your own congregation. Press clips can be found at greatplainsumc.org/inthenews. You can see education partnership ideas at greatplainsumc.org/education.
Editorial Policy: The content, news, events and announcement information distributed in GPconnect is not sponsored or endorsed by the Great Plains Methodist Conference unless specifically stated.
To submit a letter to the editor, send it to info@greatplainsumc.org.
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