Thursday, November 28, 2013

Five Rivers District – Great Plains Episcopal Area Conference - Living Water - VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12 - December Newsletter 2013

Five Rivers District – Great Plains Episcopal Area Conference - Living Water - VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12 - December Newsletter 2013
There will be another work day in Garnett this Friday, Nov. 29th (Black Friday). Roger Dressler and Lonnie Bailey have lined out a work day on a handicapped ramp. They have all the materials in place but could use more workers. If you are available to help, please contact Lonnie at 785-220-5659 or Roger Dressler at 785-331-8272. Great opportunity for service on a day full of consumerism (or prudent shopping if you look at it like that).
Thanks be to God for all our local churches and the wonderful things He is doing through them.
May God richly bless your Thanksgiving Day. Hope to see you in December.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
DISTRICT CALENDAR
YOU ARE INVITED TO
DISTRICT EVENTS
DISTRICT PRAYER
CALENDAR
CELEBRATE RECOVERY
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FROM YOUR DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT
Cause for Pause
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
What a crazy story!  What a wonderfully crazy amazing story.  So the journey to Bethlehem begins.  The lighting of the Advent candles marking our path to the manger and the in-breaking of God into our reality and into our lives anew. The incarnation, the birth of the Christ Child. We have a job to do in the midst of the frenzy that has become Christmas in our part of the world.  The job of the church is to bring the meaning of the Incarnation to the people and attach it to their lives in a way that brings cause for pause and reflection about this thing that God is doing.  We are the keepers of the story and we need to make it heard over all of the noise of life. Perhaps the best way to do that is to offer quiet and respite, a place where truth can be told and heard.  We need to be the warm and safe place where the story is told again.
So, whether you are a pastor leading worship in this season or a lay person participating in offering God worship, be the keeper of the story and offer that warm and safe place where the story can be heard.  Help create the place where the people of your community can find rest from the noise.  Make the invitation to those around you to come in out of the storm.  Experience the amazing quiet reassurance of the story once more. May we be people who can say with Mary, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Blessings on all as we travel together through Advent and arrive at the manger.
Bishop of the Great Plains
Episcopal Area
Scott Jones
Five Rivers District 
Superintendent
Rev. Dr. Dennis Ackerman
Newsletter Editor/Administration Assistant
Marvé Ralston
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December Calendar:
December 2013
•  Dec. 3rd ~ Overbrook UMC CC 7-9 p.m.
•  Dec. 5th ~ Worden, Baldwin 1st UMC CC 7-9 p.m. at
Worden
•  Dec. 5th ~ Clergy Meeting at Ottawa 1st UMC 9-noon
•  Dec. 8th ~ Uniontown/Redfield, Hiattville UMC CC
       3-5 p.m. at Uniontown
•  Dec. 8th ~ Iola Wesley, Calvary-Salem UMC CC 6-8 p.m. at Iola Calvary UMC
•  Dec. 10th ~ Eudora  UMC CC 7-9 p.m.
•  Dec. 12th~ Yates Center/Neosho Falls, Gridley/Turkey
Creek UMC CC 7-9 p.m. at Yates Center UMC
•  Dec. 15th ~ Richmond CC directly after worship
•  Dec. 15th ~ Wellsville/Clearfield, Edgerton, Vinland 
       UMC CC at Wellsville UMC 3-5 p.m.
•  Dec. 15th ~ Central, Centenary/Linwood UMC CC at 
        Central UMC 6-8 p.m. 
•  Dec. 19th-Jan. 2nd ~ District Office Closed  
•  Jan. 5th ~ Lawrence 1st UMC CC directly after worship
•  Jan. 4-5 ~ theoneevent for Great Plains Conference Youth
•  Jan. 10th ~ Clergy Epiphany Dinner for Five Rivers 
       District Clergy and the Leadership Team
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You’re Invited: 
Worden UMC, 294 East 900th Road, Baldwin City
A Christmas Celebration ~ An evening of Hope & Joy for the Entire Family
Friday, Dec. 6th 5:30-6:30 Soup Supper
7 p.m. Simulcast Featuring Max Lucado, Rick Warren, Sheila Walsh and Lisa Harper Musical Guest Francesca Battiestelli
5.00 per person, tickets sold at the door. 
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Wellsville UMC, 302 Locust, Wellsville
Tuesday, Dec. 10th, 7-9 p.m. 
“How to Care for Someone Without Losing Your Mind”
Care giving support seminar by Steve Sewell 
No charge, all are welcome and encouraged to attend.
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Clergy Birthdays for December - District Prayer Calendar:
Dec. 1  Pleasanton/Prescott
  Rev. Gary DeMott
Dec. 8  Welda/Kincaid Selma
  Rev. Bill Nelson
Dec.15  Richmond
  Rev. Butch Ritter
Dec. 22  Colony/Iola Trinity
  Rev. Gene McIntosh
Dec. 39  Fulton
  Rev. Charles Russell
Bud Tuxhorn      Dec. 8th
Marcia Eaton      Dec. 9th
Dallas Peterson      Dec. 21st
Lane Bailey      Dec. 22nd
Gina Gile      Dec. 31st
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Celebrate Recovery Program Shows Promise in Five Rivers District by Marvé Ralston
What is the outcome or result of one changed life? I think that is what It’s a Wonderful Life, the well known, 1946 Christmas classic, was based upon. One life, and all the people one life touches. 
Sometimes we focus on the numbers, while many of the most dramatic changes we cannot see immediately.  They begin one, often painful, and time intensive change, in one person at a time. The changes continue producing fruit for generations and touching unlimited numbers of people. How do you measure that?
When we think of programming, we are looking for measurable results. Sometimes they might be in-process. That is tough. In this techno savvy world, we are conditioned to expect instantaneous or at least easily measurable results. Human beings are by nature, not wired that way.
It takes time when the recipient of your energy, love, compassion, empathy and knowledge is a human being. Sometimes it takes more than one person or group of people to bring a person into wholeness. Often that starts with a program and in the church it should be Christ centered.
One such program that is offering promise in Five Rivers District is Celebrate Recovery. It started in
Osage County, when Lyndon UMC’s pastor, Rev. Loren Drummond began working with a group of fellow clergy and laity to brainstorm how such a program could be started. 
Five churches were instrumental in the foundation of the program’s beginning.  Four churches are from Lyndon; Lyndon United Methodist Church, 1st Baptist Church, Assembly of God, Mt. Pleasant Community Church and Grace Community of Overbrook, KS. 
There were originally two startup locations. The current program is at Lyndon at the 1st Baptist Church location. The Overbrook location in Grace Community Church has been discontinued. 
All involved with the planning, agreed that in order for this program to be effective it would need more energy than one pastor and congregation could provide. This need could be best met by a group of concerned denominations and people working together. That said, Lyndon UMC has remained very involved and as a district, it’s something to be proud of. 
Drummond applied for a grant on November 30, 2011, from the United Methodist Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV) for start-up funding for Celebrate Recovery of Osage County.  They were given 4,000 which got them up and running. The program officially began in June of 2012.
So what is Celebrate Recovery? You can find just about everything you need in the way of information on their website at www.saddlebackresources.com. 
This program began at Saddle Back church where Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life) and John Baker founded it in 1990. The program is aimed at all “hurts, habits, and hang-ups”, including but not limited to drug and alcohol addictions, sex addiction, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and people who have been sexually abused. 
It differs from Alcoholics Anonymous in that they are very specific about whom the “higher power” is. The first principle of the program is Jesus Christ is the one and only Higher Power. The program is first and foremost a Christ-centered ministry. 
The Bible and Celebrate Recovery curriculum consisting of the Leader’s Guide, four Participant Guides, and the Celebrate Recovery Journal are to be used exclusively.  “It is based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory” writes Rick Warren in the program book introduction. You can purchase a start-up kit for under $100.00.
The group meeting in Lyndon consists of pastors, leaders and participants who have been working through the Steps and principles themselves first, to better help others. They are trained through the curriculum how best to work through the steps and principles through Bible study and small group, gender based breakout sessions. 
They begin with dinner; move to a short worship/praise meeting as a group with a biblical based lesson. They end the evening by breaking into male/female groups to work out of participant guided workbooks. 
I think one woman in the group summed it up very well. “It’s just so good to know I am not alone with my problems. There is this group of “safe” people that I can call on at any hour to help me work through my problems.” 
Another group leader shared how even those who started out to be in leadership have realized they also had issues and “steps” to work through as well. 
So, one life at a time, Lyndon UMC, along with neighboring churches is working on making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Sound familiar?
Here is the link for purchasing materials 
http://www.saddlebackresources.com/Celebrate-Recovery-C5.aspx
Rev. Loren Drummond and his group of leadership are willing to offer advice and help if you are interested in starting a Celebrate Recovery program at your church. Their leaders visited several other groups in existence before launching their current program. 
You can e-mail Rev. Drummond at pastordrum@yahoo.com or at Lyndon UMC, 785-828-4744. 
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 5:16)
Rev. Loren Drummond
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Marvé Ralston
Admn. Assistant for
Five Rivers District
District Superintendent
Rev. Dr. Dennis Ackerman
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., suite 110
Lawrence, KS 66047-2629
785-760-3254
office@5riversds.com
website: 5riversds.com

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