Missionary Renegade: Great Plains Annual Conference Communications of The United Methodist Church "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 20 May 2015

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Great Plains Annual Conference Communications of The United Methodist Church "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 20 May 2015

In this edition of GPconnect:

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Elkhorn DS funeral to be streamed live on Great Plains website

Omaha area United Methodist nonprofits participate in Omaha Gives!

The Rev. Cesar Duran and other UM Missionaries receive blessing

Laity and clergy “Meet and Greet” to be Tuesday, June 9

Register now for June 12 Campus Ministry luncheon

Join revival discussion during annual conference

Pre-conference reception to be held for retired clergy

Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation offers monthly enewsletter

Connectional Table votes to submit legislation proposal related to homosexuality

Connectional Table adopts principles for discerning plans

EQUIP DISCIPLES

Give your students the gift of connection

Highlighting the Joyful Noise Camp at Camp Fontanelle

Registration to be no cost for National Young Preachers Festival

Camp Fontanelle teams up with Boy Scouts to provide quality camp

Pastor and lay leader compete to raise money for youth trip

CLERGY EXCELLENCE

Perkins Launches new Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree program

MERCY AND JUSTICE

Experiencing the Holy Land the United Methodist Way

Get your hands dirty for a great cause

Peace with Justice Sunday May 31

Epworth Village joins Big Garden

Israel celebrates its ‘Independence Day’ in May

OTHER NEWS

Editorials

Newsletters

Classifieds

Press Clips

Elkhorn DS funeral to be streamed live on Great Plains website

The Rev. Marvin Neubauer

The funeral service for Elkhorn Valley District Superintendent Marvin Neubauer will be streamed live on the Great Plains Conference’s website at greatplainsumc.org/livestream.

The funeral is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 21, at First United Methodist Church in Norfolk, Nebraska. While it is possible to view the livestream via a wireless device, it will be best viewed without interruption from a hard-wire connection using a computer.

Elkhorn Valley DS remembered for humor, love for missions, youth

The Rev. Marvin Neubauer is remembered by friends for his infectious sense of humor, his caring for people, desire to help with missions and love for his family.

Neubauer, 57, was serving as superintendent of the Elkhorn Valley District in the Norfolk, Nebraska, area for the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church when he passed away unexpectedly Thursday, May 14. As the news of his death settled in for family, friends and colleagues, loved ones reflected on the many qualities that made Neubauer an effective pastor and administrator over more than 27 years of full-time ministry.

“He was a leader, a friend, a storyteller and a bit of a goofball – someone you wanted to sit next to at long meetings,” said the Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede of South Gate United Methodist Church in Lincoln and one of Neubauer’s friends. “His laugh was one of the best, a chuckle that widened and grew until his whole body shook. I always looked forward to Marvin stories because of that laugh.”

Neubauer served Admire-Allen-Millers in Kansas, but much of his ministry was conducted in Nebraska, with appointments as pastor in Alliance-Lakeside, Hastings First, Bushnell-Kimball-Potter, Wahoo-Ithaca, Falls City First-Rulo and Springfield. He also served as director of Camping & Youth Ministries in the Dakotas Conference.

“Marvin had a deep interest and calling for youth ministry and camping,” said the Rev. Bill Ritter, superintendent of the Blue River District in the Lincoln area. “He served many years on the Nebraska Conference Youth Ministry Council and several different camp boards.”

In 2014, Neubauer was called by Bishop Scott J. Jones to become superintendent of the Elkhorn Valley District in northeast Nebraska. According to a story in the Papillion Times, Neubauer looked forward to the challenge of helping pastors and local congregations make disciples of Jesus Christ throughout his district, which features churches separated in some cases by great distances. But he is quoted as saying he would miss the interaction with congregation members and, especially, the youth.

Friends noted how Neubauer had a keen ability to connect with people of all personalities.

“Marvin had the ability to combine a deep curiosity and care for individuals with a passion for the larger mission field,” Ahlschwede said. “He was key to helping start community gardens in both Falls City and Springfield, and in both places it was his knowledge of the needs of the community combined with relationships with individuals that led to sustainability and success.”

Neubauer had nearly completed his first year as a district superintendent. The Rev. Dan Flanagan, superintendent of the Missouri River District in the Omaha area, said Neubauer had embraced his new role away from the local church.

“As in everything he did, I found him a quick study, with a deep desire to learn and to become effective,” Flanagan said. “He was also very creative. Serving churches in the Elkhorn Valley District, those that are miles apart, are a unique challenge. Marvin was always trying to find the best way to serve them. He loved the church. He loved his family. He loved his Lord.”

Ritter and Flanagan, with some assistance from the Rev. Lance Clay from the Prairie Rivers District in the Grand Island area, will help complete the appointive process for churches in the Elkhorn Valley District in Neubauer’s absence. Bishop Jones will appoint a new superintendent for the Elkhorn Valley District at a time that is yet to be determined.

Neubauer is survived by his wife, Sue, in Norfolk, Nebraska, and his children, Willie, Jenny and Katie.

A funeral service has been planned for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 21, at First United Methodist Church, 406 W. Philip, Norfolk, Nebraska. Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at Home for Funerals at 1203 W. Norfolk Ave., Norfolk, Nebraska. Burial in Norfolk will follow the service.

Read about Neubauer’s impact on friends and loved ones, as well as funeral information.

Omaha area United Methodist nonprofits participate in Omaha Gives!

United Methodist Ministries, Urban Abbey, Justice For Our Neighbors-NE, Living Faith UMC, St. Luke's Teen Center* and Gretna UMC Youth Groups Team 4:12/SWAT are participating in Omaha Gives! today, May 20.

Omaha Gives! is an annual 24-hour charitable challenge to benefit Omaha metro-area nonprofits. You can support these United Methodist nonprofits with gifts of $10 or more. To donate, go to omahagives24.organd search for one - or all - of these organizations.

Remember, this is a 24-hour challenge. You only have until midnight to donate.

*Be sure to read our story about St. Luke's Teen Center.

The Rev. Cesar Duran and other United Methodist Missionaries receive blessing for service

Last week, 13 people answered the called to serve as missionaries with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries.

Following three weeks of intensive training covering spiritual formation, cross-cultural awareness, team building, and conflict resolution, twelve of the thirteen new missionaries received a blessing as they prepared to live out their calling. Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., hosted the blessing service on Wednesday, May 13. The missionaries will be commissioned during annual conferences this spring.

Global Ministries missionary candidates gather for a group photo prior to a service of blessing at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. (Front row) Jonathan Baker, Donna Baker, Elizabeth Tapia and Fracine Masuka. (Middle row) Marcelo Gomes, Chin Cho, Kutela Katembo and Cesar Duran. (Back row) Cheryl LaValley, Greg Henneman, Richard Boone and Alfred Zigbuo. Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.

United Methodist Missionaries Receive Blessing for Service

By Laura K. Wise

May 14, 2015—This week, 13 people answered the called to serve as missionaries with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries.

Missionary candidates from Global Ministries have their feet washed during a service of blessing at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. Missionary Services executive Catherine Whitlatch (foreground) washes the feet of missionary candidate Jonathan Baker. With Baker is his wife Donna Baker, also a missionary candidate. Behind the Bakers, General Secretary Thomas Kemper washes the feet of missionary candidate Cheryl LaValley. Behind Kemper, Associate General Secretary Judy Chung washes the feet of Chin Cho. At right, Bishop William McAlilly, Nashville Episcopal Area, washes the feet of missionary candidate Fracine Masuka. Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS

Called to ministry

Elizabeth S. Tapia, a native of the Philippines, shared that her calling came as the result of her Christian upbringing and her exposure to various forms of church ministry as a young child. She was later trained as a deaconess at Harris College in Manila before taking on a host of other theological assignments, including a position at Global Ministries. “All along I felt I had been a missionary, though not commissioned, among my own people.” Now Tapia will live out that feeling in her next assignment.

Alfred Zigbuo described his calling as prompted by an American missionary couple, and his experiences at a mission church the couple founded in Ganta, Liberia. “As I listened to their stories and saw the wonderful ways these missionaries lived the love of God through their works, I began to wonder—why would these people leave their home to come to this very remote place and be able to serve so well, even with their very lives?” He continued, “As I began to grow in faith, my passion for mission service deepened.”

Donna Baker’s call came after 43 years of professional nursing. “When I retired from my corporate role as a healthcare consultant in December, God opened the door and called me to an amazing country called the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Servant Leadership

Guide my feet as I run this race…for I don’t want to run this race in vain.

Global Ministries General Secretary Thomas Kemper offers words of advice and encouragement during a service of blessing for new missionaries at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.

Thomas Kemper, Global Ministries general secretary, led the symbolic foot washing. Addressing the missionaries, he spoke of the nature of servant leadership:

By taking up the towel and basin, and kneeling to wash his disciples’ feet, once again, Jesus turned their understanding of what it meant to be his disciple upside down. He showed them what it meant to offer yourself in selfless love to another. These who have accepted the call of mission have the heart of servant leaders. We wash their feet as a sign of our deep love in Christ for them and with the blessing of God as they are sent to serve from ‘everywhere to everywhere’ in Christ’s name.

Learn how your church can enter a covenant relationship with any of these missionaries. Please keep them in prayer as they move forward in living out God’s call. Here is a list of annual conferences that will be commissioning missionaries this spring, with links to the missionaries’ bio pages.

Greater New Jersey, Friday, May 29 at 7:00 pm

Chin H. Cho, Country Coordinator, Mongolia

Ricardo Ramos, Coordinator for Theological Education, Bolivia

New Mexico, Thursday evening, June 4

Greg Henneman, HEAL Initiative Project Coordinator, USA/Ohio

Peninsula Delaware, Friday, June 5- ordination service

Donna Baker, Nurse In Mission, Democratic Republic of Congo

Jonathan Baker, Central Congo Partnership Coordinator, Democratic Republic of Congo

West Ohio, Wednesday June 10, afternoon

Richard Boone, Program Coordinator Horizon Prison Initiative, USA/Ohio

Rocky Mountain, Saturday, June 13 at 7pm

Cesar Duran, Developer & Coordinator for Hispanic/Latin Ministry, USA/Colorado

New York, Friday, June 12 8:30 am

Elizabeth S. Tapia, Professor of Bible, Theology and Mission, Philippines

North Georgia, Thursday morning, June 18

Cheryl LaValley, Children Ministry Trainer, Côte d’Ivoire

Fracine Mufuk Ilunga Mpanga, Young Girls Ministry Coordinator, Côte d’Ivoire

New England, Saturday, June 20, at 8:30 am

Marcelo Gomes, Brazilian Ministry Pastor, USA/Florida

Yellow Stone, Saturday, June 20th

Dieudonne Kutela Katembo, Agriculturist for Quessua Mission, Angola

Tennessee, Tuesday, June 9 at 5:00 PM

Alfred Zigbuo, Administrative and Liaison Support for the Episcopal Office, Democratic Republic of Congo

*Laura K. Wise is a mission intern with Generation Transformation serving as a mission communicator with Global Ministries.

Graduation gifts

Give your students the gift of connection

United Methodists care deeply about developing young leaders. As you celebrate recent graduates, the Great Plains Conference would love to support your students with a free gift.

Graduation gifts

Send the names, email addresses and post-high school plans of your graduating students, and a United Methodist pastor in a nearby community or on campus will offer them a free gift and extend hospitality to your students as they arrive to a new place. Please share the students’ contact information at greatplainsumc.org/studentcontact.

You can also connect your student directly with their campus minister, with all the information about Great Plains Campus Ministries at greatplainsumc.org/campusministries. (Download the flier.)

When you share your students’ contact information, it helps us fulfill the Book of Discipline direction that, “The charge conference shall receive a report on the names and addresses of college students to send to the United Methodist campus ministers and chaplains.” (¶ 247) We promise not to spam your students. The students’ information will not be given to the public. Thank you for your ministry and work in investing in youth and giving them the gift of the United Methodist connection throughout the Great Plains.

Make a joyful noise

Highlighting the Joyful Noise Camp at Camp Fontanelle

Psalm 100 says to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands! The Joyful Noise Camp at Camp Fontanelle (June 17-21), not only makes a joyful noise but, takes it out to an area church to praise God in song and drama. Over the last couple of years, people have been moved by the Holy Spirit, as the teens sing and present faith-based dramas, to a local congregation.

A smaller camp, the days are spent preparing music and learning how to work as a team to develop a worship service. Past camps have worshipped at First UMC in Blair, Nebraska, and First UMC in Fremont, Nebraska. Camp Dean Aaron Bostwick, says this, “My dream job is to Lead others to God with my music and spread His message of love to everyone I meet.” Through the Joyful Noise Camp, Bostwick has that opportunity.

Camp Fontanelle wants to see this camp grow in numbers. If you know of a teenager who loves music and/or drama, please share this opportunity with them. Do you know a teen who participates in choir of drama at school? This would be a perfect camp for them. Please prayerfully consider how you can help this camp help spread the message of Jesus Christ to congregations. For more information, please contact Camp Fontanelle at 402-478-4296 or fontanelle@greatplainsumc.org. Many churches offer scholarships/assistance to congregational families.

Registration to be no cost for National Young Preachers Festival

All interested 16-34 years olds are invited to attend the first National United Methodist Young Preacher's Festival and Conference at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, in Leawood, Kansas, thisJuly 16 and 17. This national gathering is being held right here in the Great Plains Annual Conference and there are some special opportunities, just for you.

You will experience:

Keynote preaching sessions led by the Rev. Jasmine Smothers, the Rev. Adam Weber, the Rev. Junius Dotson and the Rev. Adam Hamilton

Inspiring and practical workshops led by seminary faculty and denominational leaders

A Powerful Evening Concert featuring Glory Revival

Intentional time of networking and connection

A free lunch on July 16, with other Great Plains UMC participants

This festival is perfect for high school youth, students, college aged ministry participants, youth directors/pastors, declared and certified candidates and young clergy already serving churches. There is something for each of you. And, because the conference believes in you and in this great opportunity, the Great Plains Conference will pay your entire registration to go to this event … free registration! Just register for the event following the instructions below and reply to this email to let us know you are coming, so we can pay your way.

You will be responsible for housing, travel and others meals. If you register for the event and do not attend, you agree to reimburse the Great Plains Conference for the registration fee ($79 or $99). This does not apply if you cancel your registration by the event's June 18cancellation deadline.

Find out more details to for free registration.

Camp Fontanelle teams up with Boy Scouts to provide quality camp

Cowpoke campers will see a change of scenery during their week of camp. Partnering with Camp Cedars, Cowpoke camp will use the Boy Scout facility for their horse education and trail riding. Experienced staff members will work with the Camp Fontanelle campers to provide a fun and educational experience. Camp Fontanelle Site Director, Trent Meyer, says that campers will spend two days at the Boy Scout camp, located between Fremont and Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska.

But there is much more to the camp than just horses. While plans are still in the works, Cowpoke campers may have the opportunity to learn how to lasso, hear from a cowboy poet and experience cowboy church. Meyer is excited to have the opportunity to work with the horse staff at Camp Cedars. He says their expertise with horses will provide a wonderful experience for the campers of Camp Fontanelle.

Cowpoke camp is a five day camp from July 13 through July 17. Campers can “experience the rustic adventure of the Old West. Campers will discover the life of a cowpoke, how they depended on their horse and God, for their daily needs. Campers will hear from the pros, real cowpokes, about how to rope and rustle the herd. We plan to have a chuck wagon and sleep under the stars, as well as some off-camp adventures.”*

If this sounds like a camp a youth in your life would enjoy, and they’re in grades three to nine, go online at campfontanelle.com and register today.

* Description taken from the camp brochure

Pastor and lay leader compete to raise money for youth trip

First UMC in Louisville, Nebraska, recently held a contest between Pastor Bob Wynn and the church’s lay leader to raise money for a youth summer mission trip. Jars were placed in the sanctuary for each contestant. The contestant whose jar held the least amount of money had to lead a donkey around the city park while wearing an outfit of the winner’s choice. After raising more than $1,000, it was determined that Pastor Bob lost. However by looking at the photos, it looks like everyone enjoyed the outing.

Do you have fun and unique stories like this one? We’d love to hear about it. Submit stories at greatplainsumc.org/submitanewsstory.

Perkins Launches new Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree program

Perkins School of Theology/SMU has announced a new degree option, the Master of Theology (Th.M.), starting with the fall 2015 semester. Applications for fall 2015 admission to the new degree program are being accepted through July 1.

“The Th.M. is an advanced master’s degree that provides freedom for focused study,” said Perkins Dean William B. Lawrence. “It can enrich an individual’s goals in lifelong learning through a degree program that is tailored to a person’s interests.”

The Th.M. is designed with several goals in view:

Enhancing the practice of ministry through advanced study of a particular theological or pastoral discipline

Scholarly examination of a specific aspect of the Christian religion/traditions or function of Christian ministry

Preparation for more advanced study at the doctoral level.

Students may choose to focus within one of four divisions:

The Biblical Witness.

The Heritage & Context of Christianity.

The Interpretation of the Christian Witness.

The Theology & Practice of Ministry.

Perkins Launches New Master of Theology (Th.M.) Degree Program

DALLAS (SMU) – Perkins School of Theology/Southern Methodist University has announced a new degree option, the Master of Theology (Th.M.), starting with the fall 2015 semester. Applications for fall 2015 admission to the new degree program are being accepted through July 1.

The Th.M. is designed with several goals in view:

• Enhancing the practice of ministry through advanced study of a particular theological or pastoral discipline;

• Scholarly examination of a specific aspect of the Christian religion/traditions or function of Christian ministry;

• Preparation for more advanced study at the doctoral level.

Students may choose to focus within one of four divisions:

• The Biblical Witness.

• The Heritage & Context of Christianity.

• The Interpretation of the Christian Witness.

• The Theology & Practice of Ministry.

The Th.M. degree requires 24 term hours, with each student preparing an individualized plan for study that establishes the parameters of study, including a specific area of focus and courses to be taken. Students may choose one of two options to complete the requirements of the program: A thesis of 12,500 to 18,750 words (50–75 pages) on a topic related to the Plan of Study, or a portfolio that includes written and other material submitted in fulfillment of their course requirements, with at least two research papers of not less than 5,000 words each.Addition of the Th.M. degree program is one of several important steps Perkins School of Theology has undertaken to more effectively meet the needs of women and men in pursuit of the highest quality theological education.

For more information about the Th.M. degree program—including a link to the printable application form—visit http://www.smu.edu/Perkins/FacultyAcademics/degrees/thm.

Other degree programs offered by Perkins include the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts in Ministry (M.A.M.), Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, and Doctor of Ministry, as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. Visit http://www.smu.edu/Perkins/FacultyAcademics/degrees to learn more.

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Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church, and one of the three original schools at the founding of Southern Methodist University in 1911.

Read full announcement.

Experiencing the Holy Land the United Methodist Way

Viewpoints from a VIM Trip to the Holy Land and Israeli Folk Dancing – May 31st at FUMC Omaha

Editor’s note: the following was submitted by Andrea Paret, Great Plains Peace with Justice coordinator.

“Praise our God with tambourines and dancing. Let every living creature praise the Lord.” - Psalm 150

“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” - Amos 5:24

On May 31, Peace with Justice Sunday, from 3 – 5 p.m., First UMC in Omaha, Nebraska is inviting you to an afternoon of Israeli folk dancing (easy dances for everyone who can walk) and a presentation about the current situation in the Holy Land with Stefanie Paret and Carol E. Garwood.

We are deeply concerned about the situation in Palestine and Israel and will offer this seminar asking for free will donations to benefit organizations working for peace in this troubled area.

The offering will be divided equally between:

Mar Elias Peace Study Center (General Board of Global Ministries ADVANCE #3020532)

Tent of Nations

Carol E. Garwood is a lay member at St. Paul UMC in South Sioux City, Nebraska. She has traveled to the Holy Land several times and has also led VIM teams. These VIM experiences are always organized through our UM missionaries in Palestine/Israel and abide by UMC resolutions regarding travel to the Holy Land.

View the resolution on Holy Land tours.

View the resolution on Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Land.

Stefanie Paret has been teaching Israeli folk dances for more than 30 years to a variety of groups from beginners to advanced dancers. In 2007, she met the United Methodist Missionary Janet Lahr Lewis in Bethlehem. In 2013, she taught an evening of Israeli folk dances at Mission U in Kearney with around 70 people participating.

Please come join in for a fun and informative afternoon at The Commons, First UMC, 7020 Cass St, Omaha, NE.

Get your hands dirty for a great cause

VIM and trained disaster response teams have a great opportunity at Camp Norwesca. Camp Norwesca, located near Chadron, Nebraska, needs some hands-on servant work to get ready for camp season. Here is the list of needed work:

Trail development
Fence repair
Fence installation
Painting
Finishing two cabins
Rebuilding the labyrinth
Landscaping
Erosion control work
Low ropes course
Bunk beds

The following items are also needed if you are unable to provide hands-on service:

Twin mattresses
Tents
Hammocks
Camping gear
Hiking gear

If you are willing to help ensure a great camp season at Camp Norwesca, to volunteer or provide items, contact Sara Shaw, coordinator of camping ministries at sshaw@greatplainsumc.org. UMVIM and disaster response teams should contact the Rev. Hollie Tapley, coordinator of disaster response at htapley@greatplainsumc.org.

All volunteers must be Safe Gatherings certified prior to volunteering.

Perfect love casts out fear

Peace with Justice Sunday May 31

Leader: Show us, God, to see as you see and love as you love.

ALL: Perfect love casts out fear.

This is an excerpt from a Peace with Justice Sunday litany.

Peace with Justice Sunday was created by the 1988 General Conference and is one of the six churchwide Special Sundays of the global United Methodist Church. Traditionally it is observed the firstSunday after Pentecost which falls on May 31 this year. However, congregations are welcome to celebrate Peace with Justice Sunday on any date that works for them.

Your offering allows The United Methodist Church to have a voice in advocating for peace and justice through many programs in the United States and around the world.

View examples of what PWJ offerings have supported and additional resources.

Green and growing

Epworth Village joins Big Garden

Let’s see, the peas and potatoes are in, along with the radishes, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, corn and broccoli. Oh, and don’t forget the onions. Yes, the garden at Epworth Village is green and growing … and so are the weeds. That’s why clients and staff have been spending a couple of afternoons a week, pulling weeds and giving those vegetables room to grow.

The garden committee at Epworth Village has big plans for its Big Garden. More corn will be going in soon, along with cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe and perhaps a variety of pepper or two.

Both Epworth Village and The Big Garden are programs of the United Methodist Church and United Methodist Missions. And in this case, the two are working together to provide nutritious food, build skills and provide opportunity for outdoor social interaction.

The Big Garden is a three year program; a time span which allows for space and materials to be established, the community to become involved and for the garden to financially sustain itself.

In this, the first year, a grant from The Big Garden program allowed Epworth Village to purchase the tools, seeds, plants and even a small rototiller needed to get the growing season off to a good start.

Epworth Village garden committee chair Marshall Pascoza sees the garden as a metaphor, “The garden demonstrates to the youth the value of hard work and the fact that you get out what you put into anything in life.” And … if the sun and rain keep coming Epworth Village youth and the community will benefit from a bountiful harvest.

For information on the Big Garden program visit their websiteGardenBig.org.

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.

‘Remember al Nakba,’ too

Israel celebrates its ‘Independence Day’ in May

When the state of Israel was founded, more than 700,000 Palestinians had to flee from their homes and were displaced. Today, there are 1.5 million registered Palestinian refugees living in refugee camps. Janet Lahr Lewis (working with General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) and General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) reminds us of the importance of remembering all of God’s children. She writes:

“The creation of the state of Israel celebrated as "Independence Day" is celebrated in May. This is also the day that is remembered among Palestinians as al Nakba, the Catastrophe, when they lost Palestine.

This is an important time to remember, especially now that Israel has taken legal steps to wipe this event from the minds of its citizens and the world. Just as the Jews have made the world "Remember the Holocaust," we need to "Remember al Nakba."

….Don't participate in Holocaust Remembrance Day without participating in Al Nakba Remembrance Day. Don't visit a Holocaust museum until there is one built to remember the other holocausts in the world: the on-going Palestinian holocaust, the Rwandan, the Native American, the Cambodian, the Armenian ... You could be waiting a long time.

The love of one does not automatically mean enmity towards the other.

God placed us on this earth to have life and have it abundantly — all of us.

‘Remember al Nakba, ’ too

The creation of the state of Israel celebrated as "Independence Day" is celebrated in May. This is also the day that is remembered among Palestinians as al Nakba, the Catastrophe, when they lost Palestine. Janet Lahr Lewis This is an important time to remember, especially now that Israel has taken legal steps to wipe this event from the minds of its citizens and the world. Just as the Jews have made the world "Remember the Holocaust," we need to "Remember al Nakba." I was working at Sabeel Theology Center in Jerusalem in 1998, the year of Jubilee for Israel: 50 years since its creation. The Year of Jubilee in Judaism is the year where everything is set right; a time for the release of the captives, justice for the oppressed, reconciliation among neighbors, and so on. 1998 was only a few years after the Oslo Accords, signed by the government of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, when we still had hopes that things would be set right. In contradiction to that sense of hope, we watched new checkpoints go up, new settlements begin construction, and the new Israeli-only bypass road system being built. It became very clear that peace with justice was not on the horizon any time soon. Worse than imagined In the Jubilee year Sabeel hosted an international conference focusing on the 50 years since al Nakba. I don't think any of us expected that the situation would get worse than we could have ever imagined. The importance of remembering those historic moments becomes even more critical. Now, 67 years since al Nakba, and 48 years since the occupation began in the West Bank and Gaza, at a time when Israel and the Zionist movement around the world — even among members of our own churches — would like us to forget that part of history, the importance of remembering those historic moments becomes even more critical. Israel has even gone so far as to destroy archaeological artifacts in an effort to wipe out evidence of non-Jewish cultures, except Roman, throughout history in the region. I have seen it happen with my own eyes. I have challenged archaeologists on this. Ironically, there apparently is no written set of standards similar to those in engineering, for example, by which archaeologists can be held accountable. Reclaiming the narrative, changing the politics, insisting on equal rights for Palestinians both in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza have become even more important, and now falls on the shoulders of the international community. Extremist government The "Israelis of conscience," who believe in equal rights for all people with whom we were working, are leaving Israel, fed up with their own extremist government. In Israel there is now a Right and an Extreme Right, because the Left has left. This new extremist Israeli government will create a new Exodus. Let's not allow history to be changed or perverted by the elimination of events or the misuse of terminology. There are always two sides to any coin. Don't participate in Holocaust Remembrance Day without participating in Al Nakba Remembrance Day. Don't visit a Holocaust museum until there is one built to remember the other holocausts in the world: the on-going Palestinian holocaust, the Rwandan, the Native American, the Cambodian, the Armenian ... You could be waiting a long time! The love of one does not automatically mean enmity towards the other. God placed us on this earth to have life and have it abundantly — all of us.

Read the whole article that was on the GBCS website.

Photo: Janet Lahr Lewis addresses the Peace with Justice coordinators at their annual gathering this April.

Editorials

Krusing the Capitol: Let’s Hear it for God

Newsletters

General Board of Church and Society: Faith in Action

Global Ministries: connectNmission

Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Leading Ideas

Ministry Matters: May 19, 2015

Nebraska United Methodist Foundation: May 2015

UMC Development Center: Spiritual Giving

UM Committee on Relief: Hotline

UM Communications: MyCom

Classifieds

Closed-captioner available for hire

FaithWestwood UMC seeks full-time student ministry director

Garden City First UMC in need of director of Christian education

Lenexa UMC looking for director of children's ministries

Stilwell UMC looking for youth leader

United Methodist Hymnal available to church in need

Youth director needed at Chapel Hill UMC in Wichita

View these and other classifieds 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.