The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 15 June 2016Download the printable version of the June 15, issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNUAL CONFERENCE SESSION
- Catch up on the recently completed annual conference session
- Dress up your walls while helping two fund-raising efforts
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
- Summer internships filled by 33 college-age adults
- Institute 2016: Fearless Faith
- Fast Track makes Disciple study possible for hectic lifestyles
SOUTH CENTRAL JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE
OTHER NEWS
Catch up on the recently completed annual conference session
Did you miss the annual conference session? Or do you just want to see that cardboard cutout of the bishop dressed as Superman one more time?
No problem. You can find links to videos from each of the segments of this year’s annual conference in Topeka on our website. Go to www.greatplainsumc.org/annualconference to find links to our daily recaps, videos from each plenary session and worship service, as well as a gallery with almost 700 photos from the June 1-4 event in Topeka, Kansas.
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Dress up your walls while helping two fund-raising efforts
One opportunity involves buying a print of a Nativity scene prepared by artist Kansas artist Meredith Radke-Gannon (pictured above). The artwork was presented to Bishop Scott Jones and his wife, Mary Lou Reece, as part of the celebration of the bishop’s ministry in the Great Plains during the recently completed annual conference session.
If you would like to purchase a print, fill out this form. Each 5-by-7 print costs $25. Each 8-by-10 print costs $30. Proceeds will go to help the renew Camp Comeca campaign.
Also during the annual conference session, the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) presented the bishop with artwork depicting the first American Indian pastor evangelizing to other natives (shown below in this side view screen grab from the conference session) by artist John Walkabout, a Cherokee from Oklahoma. To purchase a print, contact Courtney Fowler, conference lay leader, at cfowler@greatplainsumc.org. The cost for each print is $125. Proceeds will go to the OIMC pastoral salaries endowment.
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African-born pastors play vital role in Great Plains Conference
Kansas and Nebraska are a long way from Kenya and Nairobi, but the gap is bridged by several African-born pastors who have stepped into the pulpits of churches in the Great Plains Conference. We look at how these pastors made their way to the heartland, as well as the challenges they face and how their congregations received them.
Read the full story.Out of Africa, into the Great Plains
The Rev. Alice Koech quickly broke the ice with the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Hays, Kansas, when she began as associate pastor last year.
“Some of you don’t know where my accent is from, and I’ll tell you,” she added. “It is from Nebraska.”
Alice and her husband, Ezekiel – pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Russell, Kansas – began new assignments last summer after five years in Big Springs and Chappell/Lodgepole, respectively, in Cornhusker country.
The Koechs, both of whom are natives of Kenya, are among a number of African-born pastors in the Great Plains Conference. Bishop Scott J. Jones says there are more African-born pastors in the conference than there are African-American pastors.
Before the 2014 union of the former Nebraska, Kansas East and Kansas West conferences that created the Great Plains Conference, the two states already had a history of reaching out to Africa – Kansas maintained a connection to Zimbabwe, and Nebraska was linked with Nigeria.
Since the union, those bonds have only strengthened.
“That mutual relationship opened up opportunities to know people. When some of those people needed places to serve in America, we welcomed them,” Bishop Jones said. “The hospitality of the Great Plains made this a place they would be interested in talking to, because they knew they would be welcomed here.”
The Great Plains was not the first American stop for either of the Koechs.
Ezekiel, 46, went to Asbury College in Kentucky for a year as part of an exchange program. While his original plans were to return to Kenya to become a pastor, there were no openings in his home country. The former bishop of the Nebraska Conference offered him a charge in the Great West District.
“I realized I could minister anywhere,” Ezekiel said. “God kind of opened up my world view, expanded it.”
Alice, 42, grew up in another Kenyan village, feeling the call to ministry while she was still in high school. She proceeded with seminary against the wishes of her family members, several of whom weren’t Christian.
“My own family was opposed to me going to Bible college. They had reservations,” she recalled. “They wondered what kind of job that was. How would you be able to live on offerings? How would you survive on that?”
In Africa, she said, there weren’t many female role models in the ministry.
“The church we were a part of at that time did not have a lot of women in ministry,” Alice explained, “And women who were in ministry did not have that as their jobs. It was an additional thing.
“They were not opposed to women in ministry, but they did not recognize that it was something you could do as a vocation,” she continued. “They looked at it as, ‘You could serve in ministry while doing something else.’”
Celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary this year, the Koechs have three children: Roy, 19; Abigail, 14; and Zachariah, 10. The children consider themselves Americans, their parents said.
“When they go to Kenya, people say they talk like missionaries. They have American accents,” Ezekiel said. “They feel this is their home, and when they go to Africa they feel like they are missionaries.”
Alice Koech will return to Kenya this summer, to her home village, as part of the Water and Sanitation Program sponsored by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR.
"This is an opportunity to share God's love," she told the Hays congregation recently. "To tell them, 'God cares about you.'"
The Koechs said they experienced more of a culture shock moving to Kentucky than they did being in Nebraska or Kansas.
“I thought America was all like Kentucky, it was all the same,” Ezekiel said. “When I came out west, I realized it was different. There were places that raised cattle with huge feedlots, huge farms with huge machinery I had never seen before.”
While in Nebraska, the nearest grocery store was in Sidney, 30 miles away, and it didn’t have some of the delicacies to which they were accustomed.
“You couldn’t get the tea leaves we used to get, the cornmeal we used to get. There was nothing like that,” Ezekiel said. “That is what we really missed.”
The couple also learned to make accommodations for the two passions of their Nebraska parishioners: Farming and football.
Ezekiel recalled a time when he made an unannounced visit to a farmer in his congregation.
“He was busy doing his thing, and he couldn’t give me any attention,” Ezekiel said. “He liked me, and he respected me as his pastor, but I went to him at the wrong time.”
Likewise, there’s a passion for the Big Red.
“Nebraskans really love their football,” Ezekiel said with a laugh. “If you go and visit them during that particular time, you won’t get any attention. They tell you to sit down and watch the game.”
Both Ezekiel and Alice made jokes about their accents in their first sermons to their new congregations, but are serious about the ability to communicate and be understood.
“I had to remember what the missionaries in Kenya would do,” Ezekiel said. “They would speak slow, not very fast. The more you talk with them, the more you understand them. Really I didn’t know I had an accent – I thought it was just the missionaries who were in Kenya. When I came here, they told me I had an accent, too.
“I wanted them to hear my message, but because of my accent I thought it was a limitation,” he added. “But it was not a limitation. The more they came to church, the more they understood me.”
Alice said her parishioners have realized that communication is a two-way street.
“When you lay it out there for people to acknowledge it, you’re giving them the chance to feel at ease that you recognize that about yourself and that they also have a role to play,” she said.
“This is something we both have to work on,” Alice added. “I work on words that are difficult for me to pronounce … and for the people listening, they have a role to also listen more carefully. For the most part, I feel like I haven’t had any problems, at least that I’m aware of, in people understanding what I say. People may have to pay more attention … and some people may have to acknowledge (that).”
The Rev. Dr. Anne Gatobu, pastor of the United Methodist Church in Ashland, Nebraska, and associate professor of pastoral counseling at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky, said that African accents are some of the biggest challenges pastors from there face.
"There's a feeling that others may not be open enough to hear them," Gatobu said.
"It is uphill sometimes, because that depends on the congregation being open to hear," she added. "English is not necessarily a problem, it's the accents."
Both of the Koechs have become involved with their communities, and their children are participating in a whirlwind of activities.
“I love to get involved with the community activities. It is not only an ideal way to meet people, you can meet people in the middle of the week wherever they are. I want to be involved too,” Ezekiel said.
“They become open once they know you,” Alice added.
The Koechs keep in close contact with other African-born pastors in the Great Plains Conference. Many of them gather for an annual Thanksgiving dinner.
“We’ve decided to form a family here, being away from our own families,” Alice said. “They feel like they have aunts and uncles. Most of us in Africa have those kind of extended families, so the kids here can have aunts and uncles. That’s something that’s helped all of us.”
The networking of extended families is vital, Gatobu said.
"Everyone in Africa becomes an aunt and an uncle," said Gatobu, a native of Nairobi. "I have lots of nieces and nephews, many of whom aren't even from my country. That comes from our African understanding of family being more extended than in the West."
Likewise, she said, definitions of friendship are different in the continents.
"Friendships are a big challenge, being able to have a true and trusting friendships across culture," Gatobu said. "The whole idea of friendship in the West is very individualized, in terms of 'What can I get from my friendship with you?' whereas the African friendship is 'No matter what, you are there for the other person.'"
African-born pastors must also adjust to different views of "community," Gatobu said.
"Community means everything, really," she said. "In the West, we talk about 'community' which is coming together for an event or something like that. But our wider community is so different. Everything is seen through the world view of community."
Besides a cultural exchange, there’s also been a food exchange for the couple. They have introduced their congregations to a type of African fried bread, and Ezekiel said he has taken to lasagna -- “I realized it is so rich, I added a few pounds after I started eating it.”
Both Ezekiel and Alice have introduced new programs to their congregations in Kansas.
He noticed that those attending the early and late services didn’t really know each other, so he began the “Trinity Bistro” between services, where they can all gather for coffee, as well as quarterly all-church potlucks.
She has introduced an apprentice program for the youth group she advises in Hays to help young people learn about the ministry. She also wants to break from the tradition of the youth group taking the summer off, introducing a “Bibles and Barbecue” session during the school break.
Both the Hays and Russell congregations have welcomed the Koechs with open arms.
Duane Adams served on the Staff Parish Relations Committee in the Russell church when it was announced that Ezekiel Koech would be its pastor.
Word did not get to the church, however, that its new minister was from Africa.
“It was a total surprise for us, but everybody seemed to be really excited about him,” Adams said. “It’s been almost a year now, and I haven’t heard one negative thing yet.”
The same is the case for Alice in her new congregation in Hays.
"None at all, zero," said Shirley Adams, chair of the board of trustees at First United Methodist.
"We've heard a lot of positive. I personally have heard no negatives," Adams added.
Bishop Jones said the Great Plains Conference is pleased with its roster of African-born pastors.
“I don’t see the trend ending,” he said. “We are open to that in the Great Plains.”
Jim Akins, Hays District superintendent, said the Koechs are two of three African-born pastors in his district – the third is in the Rev. Duncan Ibuuri in Sharon Springs.
“They bring a depth of spirituality, and all of them are very good at pastoral care, which for many smaller churches is really what they need,” Akins said. “For many of them it’s been a blessing.”
The biggest reservation that congregations have, Akins said, is being able to understand their new pastors.
“I think if some folks work as hard at listening as some pastors work to communicate, we wouldn’t have any problems at all,” he said.
Alice Koech said that, indeed, the African pastors work to make themselves understood.
“We lived here in the U.S. for almost 18 years, and we had taken courses in cross-cultural awareness,” she said. “Some of the things that would have caused me to concern how people would perceive me. Part of it is not on me; it is on them. There are some things that you can change and some things you can’t. One of the things I cannot change is my accent.”
She grew up learning both English and Swahili, and like many ministers uses her own life experiences when delivering her sermon.
“My understanding of Scripture is influenced by my own life. How I understand God, how I understand God’s grace, how I understand God’s love,” she said. “It’s difficult to remove yourself from that when you want people to understand God’s grace and love.”
Alice said she especially pictures her home village in Kenya during the parable of the Prodigal Son, with the father looking down the long road and celebrating his child’s return with fine clothing and shoes.
“I see the dad looking for the son every day, down a long road something like my village,” she said. “I didn’t have shoes growing up. I can understand what it means to not have shoes and walk on a gravel road.”
Communications coordinator David Burke can be contacted at dburke@greatplainsumc.org.-------
Summer internships filled by 33 college-age adults
From teaching Vacation Bible School to tackling worldwide problems, 33 college-age students have begun work in the Great Plains Conference as summer interns. Find out what they’ll be doing and how our conference’s program has quickly gained a national reputation.
Read the full story.Great Plains interns show leadership at, away from pulpit
The Rev. Nicole Conard quickly quashes the old church cliché about the “leaders of tomorrow.”
“These are not the leaders of the future,” Conard, coordinator of young leadership for the Great Plains Conference, said of summer interns. “They lead right now. They are leaders.”
Most of the 33 college-age students settled into Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina on May 24 to begin 10-week internships in the Great Plains.
“We work on how they lead where they are, in their context, in their way,” Conard said. “Hopefully this summer will give them some confidence to lead where they are or encourage what they’ve already been a part of.”
Although remnants of previous internship programs – the Micah Corps program related to mercy and justice issues in Nebraska and the Vacation Bible School leadership in the former Kansas West Conference – are still in place, this is the second year for a full-fledged program in the Great Plains.
“Last year it was a concerted effort for all intern-type programs that we had previously to come under one umbrella,” Conard said. “That gave us the creativity to add other internships programs that had not been a part of any of our previous conferences.”
Those new programs include pastoral leadership, church planting, Hispanic ministry, youth ministry and, new in 2016, young adult community building.
“Last year was our first, pilot year,” Conard said. “This year we have some sense of rhythm of how we work together and how these internships can work together.”
Feedback after last year led to a longer, two-day closing retreat at Camp Comeca, near Cozad, Nebraska.
“We can wrap this up in a way that allows the learning to continue on after they leave,” said the Rev. Ashlee Alley, clergy recruitment and development coordinator.
After a praise-and-worship service, which included a sermon by the Rev. Alan Gurupira, assistant to the bishop of the Zimbabwe Conference, the interns discussed church leadership and how it doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an ordained minister.
“In a lot of conferences, you can be an apprentice to a pastor, to learn that,” Conard said. “We’re encouraging leadership no matter what vocation they go into. They can still serve God and their neighbor in many different ways.”
Conard said applications for the internship program were nearly double the number of students who were hired.
The interns come from not only across Kansas and Nebraska, but New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa.
“The word is getting out about what we’re doing in this conference,” said the Rev. Kalaba Chali, Great Plains mercy and justice coordinator.
Conard agreed, saying that she has received inquiries about the Great Plains internships from conferences across the country.
Several of the interns have returned from last year, some in different roles and others in leadership tasks.
“I just like working for the church and being able to help people during the summer,” said Kristina Henrich, a Wilson, Kansas, native and Fort Hays State University student who is supervising the VBS interns. “It’s fun and entertaining and gives me an opportunity to get away for the summer but still explore, but not have to spend as much to explore.”
Amy Kenyon, Omaha, who just graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in secondary English/theater education, said that like other internships the Great Plains offered a chance to travel and meet people.
But there was also a fulfilling aspect.
“It’s an opportunity to do some self-learning and do something useful with your summer – a moment of growth rather than relaxation,” said Kenyon, a Micah Corps member.
“Being young adults, being in a very transitional time of life, we’ve been talking a lot about discernment, about what path God’s calling me to,” she added. “I’m having space to figure out what that is for myself, as well has helping interns figure it out for themselves.”
Alley said the goal of the Great Plains staff members was to provide a transformational 10 weeks.
“The internships are formative experiences,” she said. “I think this is a summer they’ll remember for a lifetime.”
Contact David Burke, communications coordinator, at dburke@greatplainsumc.org.- -------
Institute 2016: Fearless Faith
United Methodist Youth Institute is a week of spiritual growth and faith development that happens on the Baker University campus in Baldwin City, Kansas, each summer.
Institute is a program of Great Plains Camps and will meet this summer fromJune 27 to July 2. The theme this summer for Institute is “Fearless Faith.” Youth will be challenged to grow their faith and to consider Biblical, historical and personal heroes who have exhibited a “Fearless Faith.” Youth can begin their registration at www.campchippewa.org. All campers must be registered by June 20.
Institute has met on the Baker campus for more than 100 years. We invite the young people of your church to become part of a great tradition this summer!
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Fast Track makes Disciple study possible for hectic lifestyles
Since 1987, Disciple Bible Study has reached nearly 3 million people worldwide, introducing the grand sweep of Scripture in a 34-week format. Now Disciple Fast Track maintains the integrity and principles of the original study, but its modifications can better meet the needs of a hectic world. Participants still receive a thorough introduction to the Bible, but in almost a third less time. Fast Track is not a replacement for the original; it is simply a practical option.
The course uses the same Disciple Study Manual, but the class time and course length have all been adjusted for busy lifestyles. Additional print and video materials, which are extremely easy to use, give participants the tools to absorb and retain what they learn in this shortened format.
Fast Track is designed for small groups of eight to 16 people, as traditional Disciple is intended. But unlike the traditional version, Fast Track easily adapts for groups of 17 to more than 100. Large groups simply need a table leader for each table group that will lead the small-group discussion with provided discussion sheets during each class session. Many churches have used the large group model to allow the pastor to lead large amounts of people while maintaining the intimacy of the small group.
Find out more about Disciple Fast Track.
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Holy Land trip planned for October
Pilgrims of Ibillin are sponsoring a Living Stones Pilgrimage from Oct. 18-31to the Holy Land. This will be a study and listening tour. Get to know the “living stones” of Israel and Palestine. Get to know students and leaders at Mar Elias Educational Institutions as well as other partners and sites. For more information, see this link.
Founded by retired Archbishop Elias Chacour, who spoke at the teaching session of this year’s Great Plains Annual Conference, Mar Elias Peace Study Center is a General Board of Global Ministries Advance (#3020532). Its goal is to bring students from different faith backgrounds together to learn about peace and reconciliation.
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World Refugee Day is June 20
Please pray and take action for refugees. We remember the 7 million children alone who are refugees today, fleeing with their families from violence and hunger. Camps are no place for children to grow up and develop their talents and possibilities given to them by God.
The Great Plains Conference, through Bishop Jones and our Refugee Task Force, continues to urge congregations in Kansas and Nebraska to welcome refugees and show them radical hospitality.
“Love the sojourner (refugee), therefore, for you were sojourners (refugees) in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:19
Mercedes, 47 years?old, from El Salvador: “One day, two men came to the neighborhood and told the youths they had to join the gang, and my children refused.?The gangs told us that we had to feed them, otherwise they would kill us.?Then a group called ‘Extermination’ started to operate in the?area. They killed everyone they thought?was with the gangs. They killed our neighbor, although he was not in the gangs. They threatened to kill us, accusing us of supporting and feeding the?gangs, so we had to flee. And now we are refugees in Mexico.”
Mojtaba, 22 years old, from Afghanistan: “The journey to Europe was very tough. I was only 13 at the time. I lost my older brother on the way. He drowned on the crossing between Turkey and Greece. After that, I had to manage on my own. The hardest thing for me was not knowing who I could trust. But I was lucky. In Austria, I found a family who supported me and who supports me still. And now I am at university, studying molecular biology. There was no science in my childhood. I helped my parents in the fields in Ghazni province. They were farmers, growing potatoes, fruits and vegetables. We were surrounded by the Taliban. As members of the Hazara minority, we were always at risk. It felt like being in prison. We couldn’t move freely and sooner or later, we were going to be attacked. Europe was our only hope of safety.”
Prayer for Refugees: Compassionate God, make your loving presence felt to refugees, torn from home, family and everything familiar. Warm, especially, the hearts of the young, the old, and the most vulnerable among them. Help them know that you accompany them as you accompanied Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their exile to Egypt. Lead refugees to a new home and a new hope, as you led the Holy Family to their new home in Nazareth. Open our hearts to receive them as our sisters and brothers in whose face we see your son, Jesus. Amen.
For a two-minute World Refugee Day video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uaIknqTjVD8
For prayers, litanies, stories like the above, go to http://cwsglobal.org/wrd2016/world-refugee-day-resources/
For more information about how to support a refugee family in the Great Plains Conference, contact the Rev. Hollie Tapley,htapley@greatplainsumc.org.
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Discussions about Mexican borders scheduled for later in June
Social justice educators Hugo Perez Trejo and Margi Ault-Duell will host an interactive discussion of their work at Mexico’s borders with Guatemala and the United States in three Nebraska churches next week:
1-3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23 – First United Methodist Church, Hastings
7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23 – Trinity UMC, Grand Island
6-7:30 p.m. Friday, June 24 – First UMC, Omaha
These events are made possible through Peace with Justice Ministries of the Great Plains Conference.
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Jurisdictional conference concert highlights Grammy Award nominee
You won't want to miss the upcoming Area Night Concert event featuring Grammy award nominee, gospel artist William McDowell along with the area wide mass choir! The vision for this special evening of worship and praise is to be a blessing to the city of Wichita and the surrounding areas.
One of the primary goals is to make a tangible gift to two local charities that are on the front lines of serving area residents in need: Grace Med and United Methodist Open Door. These two agencies serve, combined, more than 100,000 individuals per year! A percentage of our proceeds from the ticket and T-shirt sales are going to both charities. This is a wonderful gesture in giving to our local community.
That’s the driving force behind the conference's ticket and T-shirt sales. Tickets cost just $5 and can be purchased online at wichitatix.com or you may purchase in person at the Century II Box Office during regular business hours. The "God’s Love Is" T-shirts cost $10 and can be purchased by following the link to https://spectrumpromotional.com/clients/gpumc/default.aspx
The concert is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday July 15, at Century II, Convention Hall. The following churches and conference offices, all in Kansas, are designated to sell tickets and collect pre-orders for T-shirts:
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Pastor leads prayer for people slain in nightclub shooting
In what was designed to be a rally to celebrate Gay Pride Month on June 6 in Grand Island, Nebraska, instead became a time of sadness, tears and mourning for the deaths of 9 people and the wounding of more than 50 people in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub. The Rev. Kelly Kargas of the United Methodist Churches in Doniphan and Rosedale led the group in prayer.
Read more of the story from Robert Pore and the Grand Island Independent newspaper.REFLECTING ON WEEKEND MASSACREG.I. gay community, supporters reflect on weekend shooting
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Independent/Robert Pore
The Rev. Kelly Karges of the United Methodist Church in Doniphan and Rosedale (third from left) leads the group in prayer during a vigil Monday evening at the Hall County Court House. The vigil, which was originally supposed to be the annual Gay Pride Month rally, took a somber turn as participants gathered to remember the victims of the mass shooting which took place early Sunday morning at a gay night club in Orlando, Fla.
By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com
In what was designed to be a rally to celebrate Gay Pride Month on Monday evening in Grand Island instead became a time of sadness, tears and mourning for the death of nearly 50 people and the wounding of more than 50 people early Sunday morning in Orlando, Fla.
About 40 people turned out for the rally on the lawn of the Hall County Courthouse. There were no marches, but people gathered in a circle and held hands as the Rev. Kelly Karges of the United Methodist Church in Doniphan and Rosedale lead the group in prayer. Following the prayer, Yolanda Chavez Nuncio of Grand Island read the names of the victims of the mass shooting that took place in an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning.
That was followed by a moment of silence as each member at the rally reflected on the tragedy that has shaken America because of the meaninglessness and horrible loss of those lives, many of whom were in their 30s and 40s and of Latin heritage.
Following the moment of silence, members of the crowd were given the opportunity to give testimony about what they were feeling and what could be learned from such a senseless slaughter that had shaken their lives.
But what emerged was a sense of hope and a plea to love and not to hate. There was anger expressed as many in the crowd had stayed in the shadows for so many years afraid to speak up and express themselves about being gay in fear of society’s retribution and persecution. Those memories were still fresh and the wounds had yet to heal.
“It’s not the time to give in to hate and fear, but to love,” one person said.
Another called to forgive the man who wrought such savageness on so many loving and innocent people.
Others said they were not ready yet to forgive as it will take time to heal and find that path that leads to forgiveness.
Others said it was also not the time to retreat to the shadows again out of fear but to continue to stand tall and speak out about the lifestyle which brings them happiness and fulfillment.
But there was no angry and hateful rhetoric as in the end the overall message was one of love and solidarity as the rally ended with the crowd joining in to sing the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”
The rally was not without incident, though. One of the members of the crowd fainted from the heat and an ambulance was called and the gentleman was taken to the hospital. There were also several law enforcement officers there from the Grand Island Police Department and the Hall County Sheriff’s Department to make sure the rally went without incident.
Helping to organize the rally were Brian Whitecalf of Grand Island, who is the president of the Grand Island PFLAG Chapter, and Danielle Rainbolt, the chapter’s vice president.
Whitecalf said the rally turned more into a vigil as everyone sent their “hopes and prayers to the families who have been affected by this, along to the community of Orlando.”
The Orlando massacre was also relevant to the LGBT community across the nation, he said, “since we as believe this is an LGBT hate crime.”
“We have never experienced anything like this on such a large scale having so many members of the LGBT community killed and assaulted at the same time.”
Whitecalf said society’s acceptance of the LGBT community has grown over the years but there is still a lot of hate that the LGBT community still has to endure. Still, he said, there are some “men of God” and politicians who advocate hate and indifference toward the LGBT community showing no tolerance, only contempt.
He said the Grand Island LGBT community has seen much progress in how members of the community have grown to accept their community as many of the preconceived stereotypes about being gay has been overturned through compassion, tolerance and love.
“But we do fear that all that work can easily be undone by these actions forcing some of us back into the ‘closet’,” Whitecalf said. “It is our pride month and a lot of people are coming out to celebrate very publicly their sexual orientation or their gender identity but this type of incident reminds people that it may not always be safe. We need to create more safe spaces and make sure that those safe spaces are known to the community and not used, like this gentlemen, for a mass shooting.”
Rainbolth said it was “important for us to be together” at the Gay Pride Month rally following the Orlando massacre.
“These are times we need comfort not just pride and solidarity,” she said. “This something that could have happened to anyone here. It is not a long stretch to think it could have been one of us.”
Rainbolt said a lot of people are still afraid to come out to tell others that they are gay. They are also afraid that those spaces where they can express themselves and the lifestyle they have embraced are not safe anymore.
“To have that safe zone suddenly taken away not only in Orlando but across the country is traumatic,” she said. “We still have so much to fight for and so much to struggle for and instead of shrinking back from this, we must double down and say we are not going anywhere as we are your neighbors, we are your family and we are your loved ones. The days of being in a closet are over and we are not going back.”
=-=-= Follow Robert on Twitter or find him on Facebook =-=-=
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Newsletters
Global Ministries: connectNmission
Ministry Matters: June 15, 2016
Church Copyright License: June 7, 2016
Cokesbury: Embrace Generosity
Nebraska United Methodist Foundation: June 2016
Nebraska United Methodist Foundation: Stewardship Matters
UMC Development Center: Spiritual Giving
United Methodist Communications: MyCom
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Leading Ideas
Krusing the Capitol: Manipulating Science and Facts
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Classifieds
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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.
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Editorial Policy: The content, news, events and announcement information distributed in GPconnect is not sponsored or endorsed by the Great Plains Methodist Conference unless specifically stated.
To submit a letter to the editor, send it to info@greatplainsumc.org.
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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
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Please pray and take action for refugees. We remember the 7 million children alone who are refugees today, fleeing with their families from violence and hunger. Camps are no place for children to grow up and develop their talents and possibilities given to them by God.
The Great Plains Conference, through Bishop Jones and our Refugee Task Force, continues to urge congregations in Kansas and Nebraska to welcome refugees and show them radical hospitality.
“Love the sojourner (refugee), therefore, for you were sojourners (refugees) in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:19
Mercedes, 47 years?old, from El Salvador: “One day, two men came to the neighborhood and told the youths they had to join the gang, and my children refused.?The gangs told us that we had to feed them, otherwise they would kill us.?Then a group called ‘Extermination’ started to operate in the?area. They killed everyone they thought?was with the gangs. They killed our neighbor, although he was not in the gangs. They threatened to kill us, accusing us of supporting and feeding the?gangs, so we had to flee. And now we are refugees in Mexico.”
Mojtaba, 22 years old, from Afghanistan: “The journey to Europe was very tough. I was only 13 at the time. I lost my older brother on the way. He drowned on the crossing between Turkey and Greece. After that, I had to manage on my own. The hardest thing for me was not knowing who I could trust. But I was lucky. In Austria, I found a family who supported me and who supports me still. And now I am at university, studying molecular biology. There was no science in my childhood. I helped my parents in the fields in Ghazni province. They were farmers, growing potatoes, fruits and vegetables. We were surrounded by the Taliban. As members of the Hazara minority, we were always at risk. It felt like being in prison. We couldn’t move freely and sooner or later, we were going to be attacked. Europe was our only hope of safety.”
Prayer for Refugees: Compassionate God, make your loving presence felt to refugees, torn from home, family and everything familiar. Warm, especially, the hearts of the young, the old, and the most vulnerable among them. Help them know that you accompany them as you accompanied Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their exile to Egypt. Lead refugees to a new home and a new hope, as you led the Holy Family to their new home in Nazareth. Open our hearts to receive them as our sisters and brothers in whose face we see your son, Jesus. Amen.
For a two-minute World Refugee Day video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uaIknqTjVD8
For prayers, litanies, stories like the above, go to http://cwsglobal.org/wrd2016/world-refugee-day-resources/
For more information about how to support a refugee family in the Great Plains Conference, contact the Rev. Hollie Tapley,htapley@greatplainsumc.org.
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Discussions about Mexican borders scheduled for later in June
Social justice educators Hugo Perez Trejo and Margi Ault-Duell will host an interactive discussion of their work at Mexico’s borders with Guatemala and the United States in three Nebraska churches next week:
1-3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23 – First United Methodist Church, Hastings
7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23 – Trinity UMC, Grand Island
6-7:30 p.m. Friday, June 24 – First UMC, Omaha
These events are made possible through Peace with Justice Ministries of the Great Plains Conference.
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Jurisdictional conference concert highlights Grammy Award nominee
One of the primary goals is to make a tangible gift to two local charities that are on the front lines of serving area residents in need: Grace Med and United Methodist Open Door. These two agencies serve, combined, more than 100,000 individuals per year! A percentage of our proceeds from the ticket and T-shirt sales are going to both charities. This is a wonderful gesture in giving to our local community.
That’s the driving force behind the conference's ticket and T-shirt sales. Tickets cost just $5 and can be purchased online at wichitatix.com or you may purchase in person at the Century II Box Office during regular business hours. The "God’s Love Is" T-shirts cost $10 and can be purchased by following the link to https://spectrumpromotional.com/clients/gpumc/default.aspx
The concert is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday July 15, at Century II, Convention Hall. The following churches and conference offices, all in Kansas, are designated to sell tickets and collect pre-orders for T-shirts:
- First UMC, Wichita
- First UMC, Winfield
- First UMC, Eldorado
- Aldersgate UMC, Wichita
- Chapel Hill
- Dellrose UMC, Wichita
- East Heights, UMC, Wichita
- Grace UMC, Winfield
- Saint Mark UMC, Wichita
- Hutchinson, district office
- Wichita Great Plains Conference office
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Pastor leads prayer for people slain in nightclub shooting
In what was designed to be a rally to celebrate Gay Pride Month on June 6 in Grand Island, Nebraska, instead became a time of sadness, tears and mourning for the deaths of 9 people and the wounding of more than 50 people in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub. The Rev. Kelly Kargas of the United Methodist Churches in Doniphan and Rosedale led the group in prayer.
Read more of the story from Robert Pore and the Grand Island Independent newspaper.REFLECTING ON WEEKEND MASSACREG.I. gay community, supporters reflect on weekend shooting
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Independent/Robert Pore
The Rev. Kelly Karges of the United Methodist Church in Doniphan and Rosedale (third from left) leads the group in prayer during a vigil Monday evening at the Hall County Court House. The vigil, which was originally supposed to be the annual Gay Pride Month rally, took a somber turn as participants gathered to remember the victims of the mass shooting which took place early Sunday morning at a gay night club in Orlando, Fla.
By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com
In what was designed to be a rally to celebrate Gay Pride Month on Monday evening in Grand Island instead became a time of sadness, tears and mourning for the death of nearly 50 people and the wounding of more than 50 people early Sunday morning in Orlando, Fla.
About 40 people turned out for the rally on the lawn of the Hall County Courthouse. There were no marches, but people gathered in a circle and held hands as the Rev. Kelly Karges of the United Methodist Church in Doniphan and Rosedale lead the group in prayer. Following the prayer, Yolanda Chavez Nuncio of Grand Island read the names of the victims of the mass shooting that took place in an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning.
That was followed by a moment of silence as each member at the rally reflected on the tragedy that has shaken America because of the meaninglessness and horrible loss of those lives, many of whom were in their 30s and 40s and of Latin heritage.
Following the moment of silence, members of the crowd were given the opportunity to give testimony about what they were feeling and what could be learned from such a senseless slaughter that had shaken their lives.
But what emerged was a sense of hope and a plea to love and not to hate. There was anger expressed as many in the crowd had stayed in the shadows for so many years afraid to speak up and express themselves about being gay in fear of society’s retribution and persecution. Those memories were still fresh and the wounds had yet to heal.
“It’s not the time to give in to hate and fear, but to love,” one person said.
Another called to forgive the man who wrought such savageness on so many loving and innocent people.
Others said they were not ready yet to forgive as it will take time to heal and find that path that leads to forgiveness.
Others said it was also not the time to retreat to the shadows again out of fear but to continue to stand tall and speak out about the lifestyle which brings them happiness and fulfillment.
But there was no angry and hateful rhetoric as in the end the overall message was one of love and solidarity as the rally ended with the crowd joining in to sing the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”
The rally was not without incident, though. One of the members of the crowd fainted from the heat and an ambulance was called and the gentleman was taken to the hospital. There were also several law enforcement officers there from the Grand Island Police Department and the Hall County Sheriff’s Department to make sure the rally went without incident.
Helping to organize the rally were Brian Whitecalf of Grand Island, who is the president of the Grand Island PFLAG Chapter, and Danielle Rainbolt, the chapter’s vice president.
Whitecalf said the rally turned more into a vigil as everyone sent their “hopes and prayers to the families who have been affected by this, along to the community of Orlando.”
The Orlando massacre was also relevant to the LGBT community across the nation, he said, “since we as believe this is an LGBT hate crime.”
“We have never experienced anything like this on such a large scale having so many members of the LGBT community killed and assaulted at the same time.”
Whitecalf said society’s acceptance of the LGBT community has grown over the years but there is still a lot of hate that the LGBT community still has to endure. Still, he said, there are some “men of God” and politicians who advocate hate and indifference toward the LGBT community showing no tolerance, only contempt.
He said the Grand Island LGBT community has seen much progress in how members of the community have grown to accept their community as many of the preconceived stereotypes about being gay has been overturned through compassion, tolerance and love.
“But we do fear that all that work can easily be undone by these actions forcing some of us back into the ‘closet’,” Whitecalf said. “It is our pride month and a lot of people are coming out to celebrate very publicly their sexual orientation or their gender identity but this type of incident reminds people that it may not always be safe. We need to create more safe spaces and make sure that those safe spaces are known to the community and not used, like this gentlemen, for a mass shooting.”
Rainbolth said it was “important for us to be together” at the Gay Pride Month rally following the Orlando massacre.
“These are times we need comfort not just pride and solidarity,” she said. “This something that could have happened to anyone here. It is not a long stretch to think it could have been one of us.”
Rainbolt said a lot of people are still afraid to come out to tell others that they are gay. They are also afraid that those spaces where they can express themselves and the lifestyle they have embraced are not safe anymore.
“To have that safe zone suddenly taken away not only in Orlando but across the country is traumatic,” she said. “We still have so much to fight for and so much to struggle for and instead of shrinking back from this, we must double down and say we are not going anywhere as we are your neighbors, we are your family and we are your loved ones. The days of being in a closet are over and we are not going back.”
=-=-= Follow Robert on Twitter or find him on Facebook =-=-=
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Newsletters
Global Ministries: connectNmission
Ministry Matters: June 15, 2016
Church Copyright License: June 7, 2016
Cokesbury: Embrace Generosity
Nebraska United Methodist Foundation: June 2016
Nebraska United Methodist Foundation: Stewardship Matters
UMC Development Center: Spiritual Giving
United Methodist Communications: MyCom
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Leading Ideas
Krusing the Capitol: Manipulating Science and Facts
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Classifieds
- Chapel Hill seeking Celebration Choir director
- Arapahoe UMC offers free anthems, cantata music
- Cheney (Kansas) UMC seeks youth director
- Residential specialist needed at EmberHope's Youthville
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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.
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Editorial Policy: The content, news, events and announcement information distributed in GPconnect is not sponsored or endorsed by the Great Plains Methodist Conference unless specifically stated.
To submit a letter to the editor, send it to info@greatplainsumc.org.
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