Download the printable version of the May 18, issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
MERCY AND JUSTICE
- Disaster Response in search of storage space
- Middle school students engage in The 11th Hour Program
- A welcome place for refugees
- Summer is travel time
- Sanctuary offered by the UMC in Philippines
OTHER NEWS
Stay up to date with what's happening at General Conference
If you want to stay updated with what is going on each day during General Conference in Portland, Oregon, you can check the conference website at www.greatplainsumc.org/generalconference.
The conference communications staff will share information from United Methodist News Service as well as the staff's own stories detailing decisions made, reaction from the Great Plains delegation and how others from Kansas and Nebraska are working in the open and behind the scenes.
View daily wrap-ups, other stories and photos from General Conference. You can also view videos from the delegates sharing the experiences at the conference.
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Small Attendance groups to share ideas
Small Attendance congregations are being asked to bring curriculum to share and trade with other small congregations at the Great Plains Annual Conference Session, June 1-4, in Topeka. You can leave the curriculum (no more than one box) at the Small Church booth and take another curriculum to use in your own church. It can be for adults, children or youth, according to Small Membership Church coordinator Micki McCorkle.
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The first Worship Workshop receives rave reviews
The first Worship Workshop for Small Member Churches was held in April and has received enthusiastic response from those attending:
“There are resources right before my eyes every Sunday that I have failed to recognize and utilize. Small congregations have resources that we as pastors leave untapped.” Pastor Gene Huston
Teresa focuses on “intentional and meaningful ways to engage the congregation in worship that creates a deeper and more personal worship experience.” — Pastor Rebecca Stredney
“The first Worship workshop for small churches was fantastic! We loved that the focus was on the strengths of small churches rather than what we can't do. I would encourage every pastor of a small church to attend! And if at all possible to bring a lay person. The time together really upped the excitement and brought it back to the church. Well worth the time and money, we're looking forward to class two!” — Rev. Kathy Symes
“The retreat lead by Teresa was the best continuing education class I have ever experienced. It was wonderful to be affirmed as a small church pastor and leave empowered with ideas that are meant for worship in the smaller and yet very significant churches.” — Rev. Melissa Naylor
“Wonderful ideas … worship on a budget!” — Rev. Diana Chapel
“I learned how to visually present the Word of God, and as St. Francis of Assisi said, ‘Preach the Gospel! If necessary, use words.’ Teresa showed us a new way to worship with visuals and fewer unnecessary words.” — Pastor David Shrum
Are you intrigued and interested in attending the next Worship Workshop? It is not too late to register. There are two locations to choose from, and space in both for additional participants.
Read the full information about the Worship Workshops, including the schedule of the workshops, along with the link to the registration form. The first workshop will be offered a second time in June at St. Benedict Retreat Center in Schuyler, Nebraska. Then you can decide whether or not to attend the rest of them in Schuyler, or at Rock Springs Camp near Junction City, Kansas.
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Summer's last blast
Summer's Last Blast, a multi-district youth event, will be held on Saturday, Aug. 13, at Camp Comeca, located near Cozad, Nebraska (just 15 minutes south of I-80). Youth from sixth grade through 12th grade may participate. All will gather beginning at 9 a.m., and conclude by 7 p.m. The cost for this event is only $25 for youth and $15 for adults and includes two meals and all activities. The event will also include an exciting worship service.
Youth will be able to enjoy all the facilities and activities available at Camp Comeca — indoor swimming pool, gym with climbing wall, lake front with canoes and paddle boats, hiking, archery, ropes course and zip line, tennis and the famous "Summernot."
Interested groups may also stay overnight at Camp Comeca Friday, Aug. 12. The cost for lodging and breakfast on Saturday is only $25 a person.
This event is sponsored by the Prairie Rivers, Gateway, Great West and Hays districts. Register at the Camp Comeca website. Contact Phil Sloat for more information at 308-383-2512 or psloat@greatplainsumc.org.
Download flier large flier and small flier.
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Woodland UMC welcomes first Hispanic Cub Scouts pack in Wichita
Woodland UMC, in Wichita, Kansas, has a history (as do many churches) of keeping its doors propped wide open for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, both worthy, character-building organizations. What is seldom mentioned, however, is how historically mono-ethnic such groups can be. Quivira's District Director Thomas Montiel approached Pastor Michelle Reed about bringing the first Hispanic Cub Scout Pack in the Sedgwick County area to Woodland UMC. She eagerly committed Woodland UMC to being a Chartering Organization for Cub Scouts Pack #3332.
On June 6, Woodland will welcome 12 Cub Scouts ranging in age from seven to 10 years. The Den Mothers are mostly Spanish speaking and live in the North Riverside area where Woodland is located. They have selected a room to decorate for their pack and will make the most of every Monday evening throughout the year.
Pack #3332 has already displayed the willingness to be of service to others and dedicate themselves to a strong future. Woodland is so honored to have been chosen to host this remarkable new Cub Scouts Pack and hopefully nurture its growth in the years to come.
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Disaster Response in search of storage space
Your Disaster Response Ministry is in need of warehouse space, approximately 20-feet by 20-feet. A storage building will also work just fine.
Trainings available from the Disaster Response Ministry:
- Basic Disaster (for long term recovery workers)
- Early Response Team
- Spiritual & Emotional Care
- Active Shooter
- Connecting Neighbors
- Module 1: Ready Congregant
- Module 2: Ready Church
- Module 3 : Ready Response
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Middle school students engage in The 11th Hour Program
Studying and practicing compassion and the Golden Rule while learning to play the guitar
Woodland UMC in Wichita developed The 11th Hour program for Marshall Middle School students (sixth through eighth grades). The Rev. Michelle Reed explained that the goal was “to learn and practice compassion, beauty and civility so that they may reach out to areas of conflict and violence with these values. Inspired by Iraqi cellist Karim Wasfi, who has been bringing his music into bombed areas of Baghdad, our ministry leaders are committed to teaching young people to make an impact in a war-torn world. Our name, 11th Hour, refers to 1. Armistice Day from WWI (The 11th hour of the 11th month on the 11th day); 2. the hour after the school periods are over (there are no more than 10 periods at Marshall Middle School); and 3. the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).”
A Social Justice Seed Money grant received in 2015 through the Mercy and Justice Team of the Great Plains Conference made it possible to buy instruments and work with a guitar teacher.
It is urgent for young people today to find ways to express and promote peace in the midst of conflict. As the struggle at a global, national and local level with bullying, violence and fear continues, students have spent a semester learning together and practicing hope. Some of the time has been spent learning the language of peace, and some has been spent learning the sounds of peace through music. The students had opportunities to discuss their experiences and hopes for the future.
The culmination of our project is a recording of their rendition of Bob Marley's song, "Redemption Song." After studying the original lyrics, students worked together to write two new verses that express their views on hope for redemption. Their goal is for their voices to be heard as well as carry on the message of peace as they carry home their guitars. To that end, their recording will be posted on SoundCloud and on YouTube as well as their Facebook page, the 11th Hour Project.
Social Justice Seed Money wants to encourage churches to engage in justice outreach ministries in accordance with our Social Principles. Application deadlines for 2016 are June 30 and Sept. 30. If you have questions, feel free to contact Louise Niemann atlou_niemann@hotmail.com or Andrea Paret at amparet08@yahoo.com.
View flier.
The online application will be available on June 1. The previous link will be active at that time, or you can find the form (after June 1) atgreatplainsumc.org/register.
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A welcome place for refugees
Our ministry with refugees continues to take shape as we look at how individual churches can make a difference in the lives of these individuals. For churches who have made the commitment and for others who are still discerning how to respond in this ministry, make sure to check out the Lutheran Family Service Booth at the Great Plains United Methodist Annual Conference, June 1-4 in Topeka. Their representative, Lacey Studnicka, will be present to assist with connecting churches with refugee families and assisting with other ways to volunteer. Lacey will also be leading our next webinar, which is set for6 p.m. Wednesday, July 20.
Over the summer, we are inviting all who feel called to gather supplies for new refugee families who will be arriving. The list of items needed (the document called “The Whole Nine Yards”) can be obtained from the Rev. Hollie Tapley at htapley@greatplainsumc.org.
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Summer is travel time
Editor's note: the following is from the Rev. Hollie Tapley, Disaster Response coordinator for the Great Plains Conference.
If you are heading out on a mission trip or vacation, The Center for Disease Control has some information to share on the Zika virus to take note of.
Zika is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
If your destination is to any of the following places, go to the Center for Disease Control Zika website for detailed information: Mexico, The Caribbean, Central America, The Pacific Islands and South America.
Two great phone apps to have from the CDC are TravWell and Can I Eat This?
Enjoy your summer adventures!
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Sanctuary offered by the UMC in Philippines
Editor's note: the following is by The Rev. Liberato Bautista, assistant general secretary for United Nations and international affairs at General Board of Church and Society.
Rice not bullets. Farm implements not militarization. Plowshares not swords. One would think that the choice is clear. For Philippine government security forces in southern Philippines, that was not the choice on April 1.
On that one tragic day, the demand for rice by some 5,000 farmers, many of whom are Lumads who were peacefully assembled on the main road situated in front of the Spottswood Methodist Center, in Kidapawan City, in Mindanao, Philippines, was met with water cannons, truncheons and bullets.
The violent dispersal left in its wake three dead, 18 severely injured, close to a 100 wounded and scores missing.
In the scamper for safety, the farmers took refuge at the Spottswood Methodist Center, which in turn gave them sanctuary. This center is also the home of the episcopal offices of the Davao Episcopal Area and its leader, Bishop Ciriaco Francisco.
Bishop Francisco did not mince words in defending the role of the church. What he said to church members is what he said at government hearings investigating this tragedy.
“By offering our sanctuary, we are not just being hospitable to our farmers and hungry ones, but we are making them as one amongst us. When we welcome them in our home, our sanctuary, we do not only give our best, but we share with them our deep kinship. By offering them our sanctuaries, we recognize their suffering and hopes, their struggles and aspirations,” Francisco said.
To the church in Mindanao, offering sanctuary to marginalized and impoverished peoples like the Lumads belongs to the core of the church’s ministry. For doing exactly this, the trustees of the Spottswood Methodist Center have now been served notice by the Kidapawan City mayor of a possible violation by the Center of city ordinances related to pursuing an activity that injures “public morals, peace and order and public safety, or when the place of business becomes a nuisance or is alleged to be used by disorderly characters, criminals or persons of ill repute.”
Days after the violent and deadly dispersal, the center remained under siege by members of the Philippine National Police and the military. They have since left, but not without the imposition of real and imagined fear that security forces evoke.
Farmers, Lumads have hope
The farmers and the Lumads, as Bishop Francisco said, are without connections in the corridors of power, but they have hope. Their indigenous culture has rooted them with the soil. Their spirituality is so tied to the earth that they will protect it from abuse and unsustainable practices with their lives.
Lumads are indigenous peoples, the term literally meaning “people born of the land.” They are tillers of the soil, but they are being driving off due to development on their ancestral lands.
For Lumads, land is life. Closeness to their ancestral lands has produced a spirituality that reverences the Creator that to them gives life and provides for their living and livelihoods. The loss and alienation from these lands, including forced movement and evacuation, due to militarization and climate change, subverts that spirituality.
The Lumads know the root causes of their predicament. Their indigenous knowledge and ways of life demonstrate that injustice of profound implications happens when anyone dishonors the earth and its resources, for example, through mining by multinational corporations in their ancestral lands.
Climate change, especially El Niño, is profoundly affecting and exacerbating the predicaments that Lumads and Philippine farmers are facing. Social and environmental injustices abound.
The solidarity of people’s organizations, local and international institutions, including ecumenical bodies, and the vital connections that weave the ministry of presence, prophetic witness and accompaniment of many groups — local and international, including United Methodists, is giving the Lumads a reason to hope, and forge on with their struggle.
- Pilgrimage in U.S.
Lumads and other indigenous peoples in the Philippines presented their case at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C., in mid-April. They also met with State Department officials. They are currently touring several U.S. cities, meeting with grassroots leaders, church leaders and ecumenical bodies. Meantime, a delegation from the California-Nevada conference went to the Philippines to conduct a fact-finding mission under the auspices of Bishop Warner Brown.
The Lumads and other Filipino indigenous representatives are sharing their hopes and struggles to groups who care about their plight. In the second and third week of May, they will be present at the General Conference of The United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon. A video highlighting their story will be screened in plenary, followed by a press conference that day. They will also share their culture at a United Methodist Board of Church and Society night of celebrations of acts of justice and advocacy.
In mid-May, the Lumads will also attend the sessions of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations in New York City. If their request is granted, they may also meet with the ambassador of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations.
The Lumads are hoping that those who hear their story and learn their plight will be moved beyond solidarity into collaborative action to address the social injustices and discrimination that plague them as indigenous peoples, not the least including social issues like climate justice and human rights that others share and claim in common with them.
The Lumad delegation has some concrete campaigns: Stop the attacks on Lumad schools and killings of their teachers. Stop the attacks on Lumads and their communities. Stop the killings of indigenous peoples. Support the Lumads’ campaign against militarization of their communities and against the plunder of their ancestral lands and indigenous resources.
Perhaps, at the intersections of our encounter and collaboration with Lumads, indeed with indigenous peoples everywhere, acts of repentance that are just, redemptive, restorative and sustainable — may yet happen.
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Help fill the UMCOR truck at annual conference session
Your help is needed to restock our depots of cleaning buckets, health kits and school kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR, during the Great Plains United Methodist Annual Conference,June 1-4 in Topeka. A list of items for the kits is available atwww.umcor.org/umcor/relief-supplies.
The UMCOR truck will be located near the Expocentre Box Office and available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Please bring items boxed with the list of contents and number of items on the box. For any questions, contact Rev. Hollie Tapley at htapley@greatplainsumc.org.
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Hershey UMC celebrates quaquincentennial
Hershey UMC in Hershey, Nebraska, will be celebrating their 125th anniversary on June 12, 2016, with a special parish service at 10:30 a.m. Central Time, followed by a celebration meal. The congregation would like to invite former pastors or members to attend, or to send a note or memory from their time with the congregation.
You can email them to cherikneifel@gmail.com or mail to Cheri Kneifel, 9029 W Front Rd, North Platte NE 69101.
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Newsletters
- David Upp: Mission Link
- Nebraska United Methodist Foundation: Monthly News and Updates
- Nebraska United Methodist Foundation: Stewardship Matters
- Global Ministries: connectNmission
- UMC Development Center: Spiritual Giving
- Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Leading Ideas
- Trinity UMC in Little Rock seeks director of music ministry
- First UMC in Leavenworth, Kansas, seeks music ensemble directors
- Children/youth bells sought at Goodland UMC
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. Find the press clips 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.
Want More?
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Wichita Office: 9440 E Boston Suite 110 Wichita, KS 67207 316-684-0266
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