The Great Plains Annual Conference Communications of The United Methodist Church "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 15 April 2015

The Great Plains Annual Conference Communications of The United Methodist Church "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 15 April 2015
In this edition of GPconnect:ANNOUNCEMENTS
Rev. Dr. Steve Rankin to speak at Renewal Banquet
Retired clergy invited to pre-conference reception
Survey intends to measure progress in education goals
GPconnect spring magazine now available
EQUIP DISCIPLES
Dr. Clif Christopher to offer workshop on May 2 in Nebraska
Join Global Youth Service Day at Camp Fontenelle
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Inside Perkins information session set for April 17
Register now for clergy retreat series
MERCY AND JUSTICE
Columbus First UMC provides Easter treats
Mission Justice Urban Plunge for youth
Youth group activities to help understand different faiths
Yarmouk Refugee Camp in Syria just got worse
Zanele Furusa spearheads hands-on resource management at Africa University
Spring disaster response training continues
OTHER NEWS
Newsletters
Classified
Rev. Dr. Steve Rankin to speak at Renewal Banquet

Everyone interested in promoting personal and corporate spiritual renewal within the United Methodist Church and the Great Plains Conference is invited to a banquet on Thursday, June 11, at Asbury UMC in Wichita, Kansas. The evening will begin with a meal at 6 p.m.followed by a time of worship and a keynote address given by the Rev. Dr. Stephen Rankin, campus minister of Southern Methodist University of Dallas, Texas. Rankin will encourage us to stand firm in the faith in the midst of chaotic times. He actively lives out his calling as it relates to leadership development and renewal within the United Methodist Church.
Information and registration is available at www.asburychurch.org/umc-renewal/. Cost is $10 per person. Registrations are due by Friday, June 5. "Join" this event on Facebook and invite your friends to help spread the word.
If you have questions, contact the Rev. Rick Just atWichitaEastDS@greatplainsumc.org or 316-684-6652.
Retired clergy invited to pre-conference reception

A pre-conference reception for all retired clergy and spouses will be held the day before the Great Plains Annual Conference Session at College Hill UMC (2930 E. First St.) in Wichita, Kansas. The reception, starting at 2 p.m., on June 9, 2105, is sponsored by the Kansas West Pastors and Spouses Association. Retired clergy and spouses are invited to join as plans for the future are made. In addition to fellowship, there will also be a business session and an offering for the Pass the Torch Scholarship and the cost of the reception.
If you have questions, contact the Rev. Martin Holler atmartinholler@att.net.
Survey intends to measure progress in education goals

It’s been almost a year since the Great Plains Conference launched itsEducation Initiative. Now, churches are being asked to help measure what progress has been made in the first year. Lay leaders and pastors have received an email with a link to a Survey Monkey survey asking about the relationship between their churches and nearby schools. The Rev. Evelyn Fisher, director of congregational excellence, is asking that all churches complete the survey even if they completed it a year ago. “We are particularly interested in learning about new partnerships and ministries,” she said. The survey may be found here.
The results of the survey will be shared at the Education Partnership dinner during annual conference. Also on the program are presentations from three churches which received matching grants from the conference for their partnership with schools as well as a word from Bishop Scott Jones. You may register for the Wednesday night event when you register for annual conference.
GPconnect spring magazine now available

Spring is in the air, and that means another GPconnect magazine has hit the stands. In the Spring 2015 GPconnect you can read about the Great Plains Conference’s new summer internship program, how New Church Lawrence is bridging the gap between generations and how one church bounced back from disaster.
The Spring 2015 GPconnect will be hitting mailboxes soon. You can view this issue, along with previous GPconnect magazines, atgreatplainsumc.org/gpconnectmagazine.
Dr. Clif Christopher to offer workshop on May 2 in Wood River, Nebraska

A workshop on stewardship and generosity, led by Dr. Clif Christopher of Horizons Stewardship Company?, is open to Great Plains United Methodists. The workshop is May 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church in Wood River, Nebraska. Wood River is about 15 minutes southwest of Grand Island. (Map:http://bit.ly/WoodRiverChurch)
Lunch will be provided by the Wood River church at a cost of $10, or people can brown-bag it. Organizers with the Presbyterian Foundation of the PCUSA need to have lunch reservations by Friday, April 24.
Registration can be done online, by phone at 855-514-3077 or by e-mail at mary.serovy@presbyterianfoundation.org.
Clif Christopher was a pastor for 20 years before creating Horizons Stewardship in 1992. He knows churches. He also knows why people give money to ministries and organizations, and has dedicated his ministry to helping churches tap into the great generosity of their members. Doing the same thing over and over will not encourage our best givers to increase their gifts reach those who are not giving, nor the next generations.
Dr. Christopher’s great generosity is sharing his intelligence, his passion, his experience, and all that he has learned from living and working with churches in this specialized ministry. This workshop will offer new ideas about conducting regular stewardship campaigns, ways to tell our compelling stories, planned giving, budget presentation, financial integrity, and showing gratitude.
Coffee and gathering will begin at 8:30 a.m. Parking is available, and the church is ADA accessible. Refrigeration will be available for those who bring their lunch.
Join Global Youth Service Day at Camp Fontenelle

Teams of youth and youth leaders are invited to join together Saturday, April 25 for a unique Global Youth Service Day experience with United Methodist Ministries (UMM). Global Youth Service Day will take place in more than 100 countries, making it the largest annual celebration of young volunteers. The aim of the day is to highlight the role that youth can play in service to their communities. This year, we will travel to Camp Fontanelle to prep the Big Garden for spring planting and to clean up the camp. Through this experience, participants will gain some understanding of food security issues and how community gardens can play a role in alleviating hunger.
This event is open to all youth groups, regardless of denomination or location.
On Saturday, April 25 attendees will meet at First UMC in Omaha (68th and Cass Street, Door #9). The group will leave the church promptly at 9 a.m. and return at 3 p.m. For liability purposes, all participants are required to travel via UMM buses. Attendees should bring garden gloves and a water bottle.
Cost per person is $10 and includes lunch and transportation. T-shirts will not be provided. Please remember that all chaperones must be Safe Gatherings certified.
Note: Unlike past years, all contextual debriefing will take place at Camp Fontanelle, rather than the church site.
Register your group by Monday, April 20.
If you have questions, please contact dkeeney@bigmuddyumc.org.
Inside Perkins information session set for April 17
Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University will host an Inside Perkins event for prospective degree and non-degree students onFriday, April 17, 2015, at Perkins School of Theology, 5915 Bishop Boulevard, Dallas, Texas. Inside Perkins provides an opportunity for prospective students to meet faculty, interact with current students and learn about admissions and financial aid.
“Inside Perkins offers opportunities for a look at graduate theological education and preparation for ministry with Perkins School of Theology,” says Tracy Anne Allred, director of Student Services at Perkins School of Theology.
Inside Perkins is free and open to the public, and includes lunch for prospective student attendees and their guests. Requests for reservations should be directed to theology@smu.edu.
For more information about Inside Perkins or admission applications, contact Herbert Coleman at hcoleman@smu.edu or 214-768-2139.
Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, 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.
Register now for clergy retreat series

There are people who haven't liked anything that has happened in the church, ever. Why they return is a profound mystery.
The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies will begin its 60-plus retreat series in the Great Plains area beginning July 13-15 at the Manna House in Concordia, Kansas.
Declared by most of the more than 500 clergy from six denominations in seven states who have attended as "the most valuable continuing education experience” they have ever had, the Center was created to Maintain Ministers in Ministry. Interested? Read on.
There is a little book you might like to read, “Ministry is a High Calling, Aim Low” by Kurt Schuermann. On page 18 you will find: "There are people who haven't liked anything that has happened in the church, ever. Why they continue to show up to be miserable is a deep and profound mystery." Perhaps you have a few in your church. These people tend to really show their faces whenever we, as clergy, try to make some changes at the church. These changes, of course, were what we were "hired" to do. These same changes could get us "fired" just as easily. But it isn't so much about what they are saying that is so important. It is how we can learn to respond to their reactions. This is what is addressed at the Center. The Center was created to maintain ministers in ministry utilizing family systems in the Church. The Center is a "pastoral" model. Everything done together enables clergy to be healthier leaders of their personal and professional life.
Six three-day retreats over about 18 months costs $1980 with payments spread over that time period. To register, send an email to the Rev. Bill Selby at integrity4u@comcast.net. For more information go to pastoraleffectiveness.org.
Columbus First UMC provides Easter treats
An egg-cellent Idea

When Columbus First United Methodist Women (UMW) asked their congregation to support Epworth Village in York, Nebraska, this spring, they did so in a very unique way.
Prior to Easter, UMW members handed out colorful plastic Easter eggs. Tucked inside each egg was a request for an in-kind item for Epworth Village — things like AA batteries, alcohol-free hand sanitizer, toilet paper or paper towels, along with an “egg-stra” special candy treat for supporting the mission.
Jackie Pope, a UMW member, says this isn’t the first time the unit has asked members of the congregation to select an egg for a cause. This year, Epworth Village was chosen as recipient of the “egg-cellent” gifts.
On the first Tuesday following Easter, Pope made her way to York with a vehicle filled to the brim with much needed items for the mission which serves children and families. Each ream of copy paper, package of batteries, roll of paper towels and package of sticky notes saves valuable dollars, dollars that can be spent on programming.
Photos: Columbus First UMW offered up plastic eggs at worship prior to Easter. Tucked inside each egg was a treat and a small slip of paper. In-kind donations go a long way to off-set expenses, saving dollars which can then be spent on programming.
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.
Mission Justice Urban Plunge for youth

United Methodist Ministries (UMM) and the Micah Corps interns of the Great Plains Conference are partnering to offer an exciting volunteers in mission (VIM) opportunity this summer. The staff of United Methodist Ministries and the Micah Corps young adult interns will co-facilitate this comprehensive mission experience that will cover topics including food security; the environment; immigration; peace and non-violence; and poverty.
This VIM experience is specially geared for single-digit youth groups who are often unable to assemble enough youth to make a mission trip viable. These groups will join together for a shared mission experience in Omaha, Nebraska. The mission experience is scheduled for June 22-26, and will include hands-on learning, simulation activities, team building and group discussions and reflection.
View the flier for more information, or contactdkeeney@bigmuddyumc.org.
Youth group activities to help understand different faiths by the Micah Corps

From our Social Principles, United Methodists state: We commit ourselves as a Church to the achievement of a world community that is a fellowship of persons who honestly love one another.
In order to honestly love one another, we need to understand each other and these activities provide a framework for learning and conversation about the three Abrahamic religions.
Thanks to former Micah Corps intern, Tori Osler, for designing these activities.
Yarmouk Refugee Camp in Syria just got worse
Susanne Hoder of Tiverton, R.I., is a co-founder of United Methodist Kairos Response, which was formed in 2010 to answer an urgent call to churches from Palestinian Christians for effective action to help end the Israeli occupation and support a just peace in Israel/Palestine. The call, “Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth,” has been signed by more than 3,000 Christians in the Holy Land. Hoder reflects on our Easter celebration and recent happenings in the Yarmouk Refugee Camp:
“In church on Easter Sunday we sang a song familiar to many Christians: ‘Christ the Lord is Risen Today.’ It is full of joy, with its refrain of ‘A-a-a-a-a-lle-lu-u-jah!’ But this year one phrase was especially hard to sing: ‘Love’s redeeming work is done. Allelujah!’”
Descendants of the 750,000 Palestinians displaced by the founding of the Israeli state and the ensuing war with Arab nations have been living in the Yarmouk Refugee Camp for decades. Even before the recent siege by ISIS, conditions in this camp were inhumane.
Contrary to common misperceptions, Hoder points out that “in Palestine before the 1940s, Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together, and can do so again once equal rights are restored. In one refugee camp I met a Muslim woman who was named for her mother’s Jewish neighbor before the war.”
“Recently 3,000 Christian Palestinians signed an urgent plea to the churches of the world to become informed and take action to end Israel’s occupation. They have recommended boycott, divestment and sanctions, which worked to end apartheid in South Africa. Several major denominations have embraced boycott of settlement products and/or divestment from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation.”
“Christians believe that when Christ arose, his Spirit entered the hearts of his followers and works through them to transform the world. As we go forth from Easter, ending Israel’s occupation and supporting the refugees’ right of return are good places for ‘Love’s redeeming work’ to begin.”
Read more: http://umc-gbcs.org/faith-in-action/loves-redeeming-work
If you are interested in the work of United Methodist Kairos Response and want to join others in our conference who are active in this work, contact the Great Plains Peace with Justice Coordinator, Andrea Paret, at amparet08@yahoo.com.
Zanele Furusa spearheads hands-on resource management at Africa University
Editor’s note: The following is by Marcie Smeck, former interim director, Office of Communications, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
On the day before the inauguration of Professor Munashe Furusa as Africa University’s fourth vice chancellor, what was his wife, Zanele Furusa doing? She joined students on the side of the highway that leads to AU to pick up trash.
Zanele is a lecturer in natural resources management in the faculty of humanities and the faculty of agriculture at AU and advocates the students’ role in resource management in their community. She leads by example and believes trash by the highway is not good for the university’s image, nor for the soil and vegetation resources.
“That is community-based resource management!” Zanele said.Zanele Furusa spearheads hands-on resource management at Africa University
Marcie Smeck

Zanele Furusa, lecturer in natural resources management in the faculty of humanities and the faculty of agriculture, Africa University. Photo credit: Marcie Smeck.

On the day before the inauguration of Professor Munashe Furusa as Africa University’s fourth vice chancellor, what was his wife, Zanele Furusa doing? She joined students on the side of the highway that leads to AU to pick up trash.
Zanele is a lecturer in natural resources management in the faculty of humanities and the faculty of agriculture at AU and advocates the students’ role in resource management in their community. She leads by example and believes trash by the highway is not good for the university’s image, nor for the soil and vegetation resources.
“That is community-based resource management!” Zanele said.
In September 2014, she launched a three-part plan involving students, faculty and staff to clean up three stretches of highway around the university.
“We need to practice what we say, change behaviors, and stop littering,” she said.
Zanele teaches three classes at AU and is a doctoral student in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban. She holds a master’s degree in Geography and Environmental Management from the same university and a BS from Zimbabwe Open University. She specializes in environmental management, gender and policy development, as well as climate change and its impact on marginalized communities.
“We need young people engaging in environmental issues and coming up with solutions for Africa,” Zanele said.
Zanele and Munashe Kurehwatira, another lecturer in the Agriculture and Natural Resources, engaged 10 AU students by taking the group to the thirty-ninth annual meeting of the National Council for Black Studies in Los Angeles, Calif., in mid-March.
“I love research. It is key for students to do actual activities and learn to stand before people to share their findings,” she said.
Last fall, Zanele challenged those 10 students, who were in her Community Resource Management class, to develop a community-based resource project and share their findings at the March meeting in Los Angeles. Each student chose a community to research and worked to raise the money to attend the conference. The bulk of funding came from parents and sponsors; additional money was contributed by faculty and staff at AU.
Her students spent months doing fieldwork and finding a conceptual framework for the results of their research. At the conference, the students were able to hear others’ presentations and talk to scholars in the field. They chaired panels and presented papers.
Beitbridge Soneni Moyo, a senior at AU, researched ways that beekeepers in a small community could work with fruit farmers to increase the fruit yield, improve local environments and produce nutritious honey for the community.
“[Moyo’s research is] an example of how grassroots research can result in workable community-based solutions, rather than waiting on government to solve community problems,” Zanele said.
Zanele is currently helping Moyo apply to schools in the United States to study environmental law. She hopes to take another group of students to next year’s conference in Charlotte, N.C.
Regionally, Zanele plans to take another group of students to Malawi in October to participate in an environmental project just outside of Lilongwe, where AU students will experience work in a different context. She aims to train students to become world leaders in natural resources management.
At the Vice Chancellor’s Inauguration, Zanele said that she is “excited about the campus, feels settled and grateful for the warm welcome. I love the spirit of avid students here. I enjoy them all.”
Zanele taught high school geography and environmental studies for 20 years before teaching on a college campus. The Furusa family spent 15 years in California—where Munashe Furusa was most recently dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Dominquez Hills—before returning to Zimbabwe eight months ago when he was named vice chancellor at AU.
Three of their four children are adults living in California, and their youngest, 10 years old, returned to Zimbabwe with them.
Founded by The United Methodist Church in 1992, Africa University enrolls students from 28 African nations and beyond, providing quality education within the Pan-African context. It is located near Mutare, Zimbabwe. Learn more or donate at www.support-africauniversity.org.
Smeck is former interim director, Office of Communications, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Spring disaster response training continues
Early Response Training (ERT)
Saturday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at First United Methodist Church, 421 N Spruce St., Ogallala, Nebraska. For more information, contact Dave Baltzell atdocdave69153@gmail.com. Cost is $25, register here.
Saturday, May 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Louisburg United Methodist Church, 249 N. Metcalf, Louisburg, Kansas. For more information, contact Jerry O'Donnell at jerry@pandjpartners.com. Cost is $25.
Saturday, June 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Humboldt UMC, 806 N 9th St, Humboldt, KS 66748. For more information, contact, Russell Anderson, Southeast Region coordinator atrev.russanderson@gmail.com. Cost is $25, register here.
Connecting Neighbors training
A Connecting Neighbors Training event is schedule to take placeSunday, April 26 from 1-5 p.m., at Belleville UMC, 2013 M St. Belleville, KS 66935. For more information, contact Steve Burnett, Great Plains Disaster Response chair, at srburn@madtel.net. There is no cost to attend, register here.
Basic disaster training
Saturday, May 2 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., at Caldwell UMC, 100 West Central Ave, Caldwell, KS 67022. There is no cost to attend. Please contact Jeanine Bevan at 620-845-2513 orbtractor2003@yahoo.com if you will be attending or for more information.
Newsletters
Christian Copyright Solutions: April 2015
Discipleship Ministries: 5 ways you can better equip Vita Congregations
General Board of Church and Society: Faith in Action
Global Ministries: ConnectNmission
Great Plains Conference – Administrative Services: April 2015
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Leading Ideas
Ministry Matters: April 15, 2105
United Methodist Church Development Center: Spiritual Giving
United Methodist Committee on Relief: Hotline
United Methodist Communications: MyCom
Classified
Director of communication sought at East Heights UMC
Director of youth ministries needed at Woodlawn UMC
First UMC in Junction City looking for administrative assistant
Lenexa UMC looking for director of children's ministries
The UMC at the Well seeks director of music
Youth ministry director needed at Junction City First UMC
View these and other classifieds at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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?

Episcopal Office: 9440 E Boston Suite 160 Wichita, KS 67207 316-686-0600

Topeka Office: 4201 SW 15th Street PO Box 4187 Topeka, KS 66604 785-272-9111
Wichita Office: 9440 E Boston Suite 110 Wichita, KS 67207 316-684-0266
Lincoln Office: 3333 Landmark Circle Lincoln, NE 68504-4760 402-464-5994____________________________