Wednesday, October 26, 2016

The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "In Memoriam - Rev. Julian Miguel" for Wednesday, 26 October 2016

The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "In Memoriam - Rev. Julian Miguel" for Wednesday, 26 October 2016
The Rev. Dr. Julian Miguel, 78, a retired clergy member of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference passed away Oct. 21, 2016 at Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born Oct. 16, 1938 in Lapogan Gattaran, Cagayan, Phillipines to Vicente O. Miguel & Florencia L. Miguel.
Julian was married to Venus on April 4, 1960. He served South Omaha Parish, Milford, Stanton-Pilger, Columbus, Sidney, Grant, Lincoln Warren in Nebraska and retired in 2002. In Dec. 2002, he came out of retirement to start the First Filipino-American Congregation in Las Vegas, Nevada. In August 2009, he retired a second time from the servitude of the church.
He is survived by his wife, Venus, 8458 Cobble Village Ct., Las Vegas, NV 89117; daughter Nympha, and son Julian Jr.
Visitation will be Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 from 3 – 9 p.m. The service will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 28, 2016 both at Palm Mortuary on 7600 South Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, NV. 
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 26 October 2016
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Download the printable version of the Oct. 26 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
MERCY AND JUSTICE
ADMINISTRATION
OTHER
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Donations for Camp Comeca can be matched through end of 2016
The remaining days of 2016 are also a countdown in the amount of time that donors to Camp Comeca’s capital campaign can see their pledge money doubled.
Matching funds of $111,632.61 are available through Dec. 31. As of the end of September, just more than $761,000 had been raised.
Donations to Camp Comeca can be matched through end of 2016
The remaining days of 2016 are also a countdown in the amount of time that donors to Camp Comeca’s capital campaign can see their pledge money doubled.
Matching funds of $111,632.61 are available through Dec. 31. As of the end of September, just more than $761,000 had been raised.
“That’s huge. It’s a wonderful gift. We need to try to meet that,” Janelle Wilke, leader of the capital campaign, said of the most recent fundraising figure.
Wilke urged churches to get creative in their fundraising. The United Methodist Church in Ogallala, Nebraska, sponsored a concert by area church choirs, with money going to the camp, located near Cozad, Nebraska. The United Methodist Women at another church sponsored a taco night.
“They can do fun things,” Wilke said. “They’re encouraged to do some fun things.”
Although it does come at the next-to-last week of the year, churches can also have an offering at Christmas, she added.
“If you’re giving a Christmas gift, don’t forget about the camping ministries,” Wilke said. “Those are places where people have their lives changed.”
It doesn’t take much if enough churches pitch in, she added.
“If we have 70 churches that could give $500 for two years, we would be done,” she said. “We would meet our goal.”
The Rev. Evelyn Fisher, congregational excellence director for the Great Plains Conference, said the Lloyd Wilson Foundation has challenged the conference to match its $250,000 grant, which would expire at the end of the year.
A previous Wilson Foundation grant resulted in major improvements to Camp Comeca.
If successful, the funds would be added to an existing endowment fund.
“When the Wilsons made their very generous donation that resulted in the hotel and swimming pool and the gym, the amount provided for maintenance may have been adequate at the time,” Fisher said. “But over the years, maintenance has become more and more expensive as the facilities age. The purpose of this is to increase the money available for yearly maintenance.”
Money from the Nebraska Challenge Fund, Fisher said, is also available for the matching grant.
“If we’re able to match that whole grant, we will be very near to the campaign goal,” Fisher added.
Contact David Burke, communications coordinator, at dburke@greatplainsumc.org.
Read ideas for raising money, as well as more about the matching grant.
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Chabadza partnership champion passes away in Kansas
The Rev. A. Mark Conard, known throughout the Great Plains Conference but especially in the former Kansas West area for his work on the Chabadza partnership with fellow Christians in Africa, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 19. His unexpected death is being felt by United Methodists in both the Great Plains and in Zimbabwe, where he helped establish the partnership.
“He was loved by both people in Zimbabwe and in the Great Plains Conference,” said the Rev. Kalaba Chali, Mercy and Justice coordinator for the conference. “He will be missed by a lot of people.”
A retired pastor and former district superintendent, Conard died at a Wichita hospital. He was 68.
Conard remembered for leadership in Great Plains, Zimbabwe
The loss of the Rev. A. Mark Conard is being felt by United Methodists in both the Great Plains and in an African nation where he helped establish a partnership.
“He was loved by both people in Zimbabwe and in the Great Plains Conference,” said the Rev. Kalaba Chali, Mercy and Justice coordinator for the conference.
“He will be missed by a lot of people,” Chali added.
A retired pastor and former district superintendent, Conard died Tuesday, Oct. 18, at a Wichita hospital. He was 68.
Funeral services were conducted Sunday, Oct. 23, at First United Methodist Church, Hutchinson.
Those with condolences, memories, stories and photos are asked to share them online at http://bit.ly/MarkConard.
Conard and his wife, Joyce, a retired nurse, celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in August. She survives him, as well as three children: Jonathan (wife Melissa) of Sterling, Kansas; the Rev. Andrew Conard (whose wife, Nicole, is young adult leadership coordinator of the Great Plains Conference), pastor of First United Methodist Church in El Dorado, Kansas; and Kristin Conard of Santa Cruz, California, as well as four grandchildren.
Conard had a 42-year career as a pastor – serving churches in Geneseo, Maize-Bentley and Wichita Pleasant Valley – before retiring in 2013 from First UMC in Hutchinson. He also served six years as district superintendent in the Salina District. Conard led delegations to the United Methodist General Conference and served on the episcopacy committee for the South Central Jurisdiction.
“Through many years of service to United Methodism, Mark Conard made a significant impact on the United Methodist movement,” former Great Plains Bishop Scott Jones, now leader of the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, wrote in an email. “We should be grateful to God for his life and legacy among us.”
But colleagues are recalling his efforts to establish connections with the Great Plains and Zimbabwe conferences, through a movement called “Chabadza,” a Shona word meaning “come alongside.”
“He was inspired by the people of Zimbabwe many, many years ago,” said the Rev. Linda Louderback, Wichita West district superintendent.
Conard introduced a Chabadza covenant at the 2010 session of the former Kansas West Conference, and it was approved. He had made five trips to the African country, most recently with a delegation from the Great Plains in 2014, appearing at a convention of 50,000 people.
“Mark embraced the art of cultural differences,” said Chali, among those accompanying him on the trip. “He loved learning how to behave in a different culture.”
Chali recalled that in the 2014 trip, after the presentation of gifts from the Zimbabwe people to those in the Great Plains, Conard in turn gave them a present, unbeknownst to the rest of the delegation: a solar-powered cell phone charger.
“It wasn’t so much the gift – and Mark knew very well how to play this – he knew that when you travel to these places as a conference representative, you’re not there for you,” Chali said. “You’re there for all the laypersons, all the lay leaders, all the pastors and the district superintendents and your own bishop.”
Conard, Chali said, exemplified Jesus’ teachings.
“When I hear our discussions about ‘global church’ and a ‘connected church,’ Mark’s way of being a United Methodist Christian makes that tangible for us,” he said.
The Chabadza partnership, Conard said in 2014, planted Methodist roots in Zimbabwe by assisting local pastors and helping local churches grow.
“Many churches or circuits simply cannot afford to provide even minimal housing, and pastors and their families are sometimes left without a place to live,” Conard said at the time. “The idea of a Chabadza partnership is any kind of assistance is only extended to those with whom we have a relationship. It means coming alongside one another to help in a mutual way. It does not mean doing something for somebody else that they can’t do for themselves.
“My rough personal estimate is any financial support that we are able to send has an impact at least five times greater than it would have in the states,” he added.
The Zimbabwes bestowed the name “Mutendi,” which means “shepherd” in Shona – the language spoken by about three-fourths of the country – on Conard.
“I am hurting,” Simon Mafunda, lay leader for the Zimbabwe East Conference, wrote in an email to Louderback after hearing of Conard’s death. “Mark was such a good friend. He was so passionate about Chabadza and had touched many lives in Zimbabwe, especially at Mutambara Mission Centre. Words fail me. May his dear soul find rest in eternal peace. His humility was just humbling. It was a real honor for me to share my life with him.”
Louderback, who was also in the 2014 delegation, said Conard sparked her interest and mission for Zimbabwe.
“Somehow I feel like I’ve lost my leader,” she said.
Louderback spoke of Conard’s strengths, both as a pastor and a leader.
“He was a quiet leader, and he had a dry sense of humor,” she recalled. “He had a fun way, and yet a serious way, of looking at life. It always involved Scripture and his faithfulness.
“He was always unassuming. He didn’t try to get in the limelight, he just did by his very presence,” Louderback added.
Both Chali and Louderback spoke of Conard as a human encyclopedia, knowing details about Zimbabwe and both states in the Great Plains Conference, down to geographic locations and pastoral changes.
“He had so much in his head,” Louderback said. “I’m going to miss his quiet leadership, his faithfulness, his attention to detail.”
“He enjoyed being a part of something that was so exciting,” Chali said. “That was because of his ability to work with people of different theological perspectives. He was loved by liberals in the church; he was loved by conservatives.
“He acted as a disciple of Jesus, but also Jesus-like. That will be hard to replace.”
Contact David Burke, communications coordinator, at dburke@greatplainsumc.org.Read a tribute to Conard’s life.
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Bishops' council announces human-sexuality commission
The United Methodist Council of Bishops has announced the membership of the Commission on a Way Forward, a 32-member group tasked with addressing concerns over same-gender marriage and the ordination of openly gay pastors that threaten to split the church.
"After three months of diligent and prayerful discernment, we have selected eight bishops, 11 laity, 12 elders and one deacon to serve on the commission," said Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of the Council of Bishops. "This group is representative of our theological diversity."
After hearing concerns that the proposed composition did not include enough laity, three additional laypersons were added from the original pool of more than 300 nominees.
None of the commission members are from the Great Plains. But four people from the South Central Jurisdiction – all from Texas – will serve on the panel.
Council of Bishops announces members of human-sexuality commmission
The United Methodist Council of Bishops has announced the membership of the Commission on a Way Forward.
"After three months of diligent and prayerful discernment, we have selected eight bishops, 11 laity, 12 elders and one deacon to serve on the commission," said Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of the Council of Bishops. "This group is representative of our theological diversity."
Ough said the makeup of the 32-member commission is roughly comparable to U.S. and Central Conference membership.
All of the members of the commission have already indicated their willingness and availability to serve. The team of moderators -- Bishop Ken Carter, Bishop Sandra Steiner-Ball and Bishop David Yemba -- soon will convene the commission to begin to organize its work and finalize its meeting schedule.
The commission's mission is to "bring together persons deeply committed to the future(s) of The United Methodist Church, with an openness to developing new relationships with each other and exploring the potential future(s) of our denomination in light of General Conference and subsequent annual, jurisdictional and central conference actions."
The 2016 General Conference gave a specific mandate to the Council of Bishops to lead The United Methodist Church in discerning and proposing a way forward through the present impasse related to human sexuality and the consequent questions about unity and covenant.
The commission is a group appointed by the Council of Bishops to assist the council in fulfilling this mandate. As such, the council has appointed bishops from across the global connection to serve on the commission alongside laity and clergy. While clergy and laity will vote at a General Conference on these matters, the bishops have the responsibility to lead the church. Thus, the commission is designed to inform the council’s leadership of the General Conference. After hearing concerns that the proposed composition did not include enough laity, three additional laypersons were added from the original pool of more than 300 nominees.
At its fall meeting, scheduled for Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, the council will make a decision about a called General Conference and will review a plan to conduct additional and complementary work in annual conferences designed to broaden the conversation with hundreds of lay and clergy members.
The members of the commission are:
  • Jorge Acevedo — Florida, elder, male
  • Brian Adkins — California, elder, male
  • Jacques Umembudi Akasa — Democratic Republic of Congo, laity, male
  • Tom Berlin — Virginia, elder, male
  • Matt Berryman — Illinois, laity, male
  • Helen Cunanan — Philippines, elder, female
  • David Field — Switzerland, laity, male
  • Ciriaco Francisco — Philippines, bishop, male
  • Grant Hagiya — California, bishop, male
  • Aka Dago-Akribi Hortense — Côte d’Ivoire, laity, female
  • Scott Johnson — New York, laity, male
  • Jessica Lagrone — Kentucky, elder, female 
  • Thomas Lambrecht — Texas, elder, male
  • Myungae Kim Lee — New York, laity, female
  • Julie Hager Love — Kentucky, deacon, female
  • Mazvita Machinga — Zimbabwe, laity, female
  • Patricia Miller — Indiana, laity, female
  • Mande Guy Muyombo — Democratic Republic of Congo, elder, male
  • Eben Nhiwatiwa — Zimbabwe, bishop, male
  • Dave Nuckols — Minnesota, laity, male
  • Casey Langley Orr — Texas, elder, female 
  • Gregory Palmer — Ohio, bishop, male
  • Donna Pritchard — Oregon, elder, female
  • Tom Salsgiver — Pennsylvania, elder, male 
  • Robert Schnase — Texas, bishop, male
  • Jasmine Rose Smothers — Georgia, elder, female
  • Leah Taylor — Texas, laity, female
  • Deborah Wallace-Padgett — Alabama, bishop, female
  • Rosemarie Wenner — Germany, bishop, female
  • Alice Williams — Florida, laity, female
  • John Wesley Yohanna — Nigeria, bishop, male
  • Alfiado S. Zunguza — Mozambique, elder, male
Moderators will be:
  • Sandra Steiner Ball — West Virginia, bishop, female
  • Kenneth Carter — Florida, bishop, male
  • David Yemba — Democratic Republic of Congo, bishop, male
See the names of the people chosen.
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Clergy Excellence
Registration now open for 2017 Orders and Fellowship
Registration is now open for the 2017 Orders and Fellowship meeting.
The event will take place Jan. 18-19, at the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kansas, with a theme of “Transforming. Entrepreneurial. Discipling.” The gathering will focus on ministry with youth and young adults and will have guest speakers, workshops and worship to help focus on the church for the 21st century.
Childcare is offered onsite at the Bicentennial Center for children age six weeks to six years old. Parents must register in order to receive childcare by the strict deadline of Dec. 14. Childcare registrations will not be accepted after this date.
Register for Orders and Fellowship registration.
Fill out the childcare registration form.
View more information about the 2017 Orders and Fellowship meeting including lodging, speaker information and workshop descriptions at www.greatplainsumc.org/o&f.
Contact Dana Reinhardt at dreinhardt@greatplainsumc.org with any questions.
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Say ‘thank you’ to your pastor during Clergy Appreciation Month
Did you know October is Clergy Appreciation Month?
Pastors throughout Kansas and Nebraska work hard each day for their congregations. They are there for joyful moments in our lives, such as weddings, births and baptisms. They are there in our darkest hours, such as when we or a loved one is in the hospital or when there has been a death in the family.
Please consider taking time this month to show your congregation’s appreciation for your pastor.
Watch this video of appreciation from Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr.
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Rev. Tom Berlin to lead Feb. 21-22 workshop
The Prairie Rivers District will host a two-part workshop featuring the Rev. Tom Berlin, at First UMC in York, Nebraska. The workshop will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 21 and 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 22.
In this two-part workshop, participants will spend day one considering principles and practices from the, "Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results," by Berlin and Lovett Weems. Participants will begin with a discussion of the power of vision and ways to move from goal setting to implementation of ministry. This workshop will include time throughout the day for pastors and church teams to engage in conversation with each other about their church. This is a participatory event designed to enable you to return from the experience with initial tasks completed and a conversation about the future of your church well underway.
Day two will focus on Berlin’s book, "The Generous Church." Once church leaders agree on a vision and understand what they hope to accomplish, they have the ability to motivate church members to be generous with their time, talent and money. You will hear practical strategies to engage and challenge your church members, raise congregational morale and help people enter the ministry that will grow their discipleship. By combining these two resources, you will move from vision to reality in ways that will bring your church a sense of renewal and vitality.
Berlin currently serves as the lead pastor of Floris UMC in Herndon, Virginia. An exciting part of Floris’ ministry and international outreach has been the establishment of the Child Rescue Centre for children affected by child labor and trafficking and Mercy Hospital in partnership with the Sierra Leone Annual Conference of the UMC. He also serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Governor’s for Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Tom has authored and co-authored several books several small group studies.
Register now.
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Equipping Disciples
New Advent Studies available at the resource center
What gift would you most like to receive this Christmas? Many would have a hard time deciding between all the things our hearts desire. James W. Moore, in both of his Advent studies, encourages you to seek the gifts that God offers, even in the chaos of the season. Christmas offers us the life-giving gifts of faith, hope and love if we but dare to find our way to Bethlehem.
Sometimes at Christmas we focus too much on the gifts we want to give and to receive. What about the gifts God wants to give to us? James W. Moore’s newest Advent study, “All I Want For Christmas” reminds us of the special, life-changing gifts Christmas has to offer us if we but open ourselves to God’s grace. The five lessons of this Advent study are:
  • The Gift of Good News – God is with us and nothing can separate us from God’s love.
  • The Gift of a New Understanding – Jesus’ birth gives us a new “picture” of God – God lifting up the lowly.
  • The Gift of a Strong Foundation – The relationship we have with God and fellow Christians is the cornerstone
  • The Gift of a New Style of Living – Christianity is more than ritual; it is a life lived in service
  • Christmas Gifts We Can Pass On To Others – The festival of Las Posadas; do we offer hospitality to the stranger?
Do you have trouble each year “finding Bethlehem” in the midst of the busyness and often chaos of the holiday season? “Finding Bethlehem In the Midst of Bedlam” is a five-week Advent study that reminds us that Christ is born no matter the condition of our hearts or our world. The five sessions of this study are:
Bethlehem or Bedlam
Christ Came To Set Us Free
Love Came Down In Bethlehem
The Precious Memories of Christmas
Mind the Light
Both DVD studies by James W. Moore include leader guide and participant guide plus a children’s leader guide and a youth study book if you wish to do an all church study.
To view a complete listing of Advent studies, view the online catalog at www.gpresourcecenter.org. To reserve an Advent study, contact Diane Dunkerson at ddunkerson@greatplainsumc.org or 1-800-435-6107.
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Mercy and Justice
Justice For Our Neighbors-Nebraska helps victims of domestic violence
October is Domestic Violence Month. Justice For Our Neighbors-Nebraska, or JFON-NE, welcomes immigrants into our communities by providing high-quality legal services, education and advocacy. In all our work, JFON-NE focuses on the most vulnerable – victims of domestic violence, abused and abandoned children, and those fleeing persecution. There is a great need for JFON-NE’s services.
At our recent fundraising event in early October, JFON-NE attorney Mindy Rush-Chipman (pictured, right) shared the story from one of her clients.
Yen had come to the United States through an arranged marriage, which meant she came with permission -- in her case, conditional residency. But this status had expired because her husband didn’t comply with what was needed to be done next. Yen was a victim of human trafficking (being forced to work in the family business without any compensation) and she suffered from severe domestic violence.
Her husband controlled every aspect of her life. She was threatened, assaulted and told she was illegal. When she was finally able to get away to a shelter, the staff there referred her to JFON-NE. Rush-Chipman immediately began working on her temporary residency. Because Yen was cooperating with the attorneys and law enforcement, she has been able to become a lawful, permanent resident in the meantime. She is now safe, she is independent and she has a good job. And she is working towards her citizenship.
“I appreciate how JFON has helped me during all this time. But at the same time, I want to say ‘thank you’ to all the donors that made it possible that I and others get the help we need,” Yen shared in a letter that was read to the guests at the event.
JFON-NE is one of the Great Plains Conference Mission Agencies. If you feel led to contribute, you can do so through the www.jfon-ne.orgwebsite or by giving a check through your local church with the designation “JFON-NE, Great Plains Mission Agency #721.” To read more about JFON-NE’s work, go to www.jfon-ne.org.[Andrea Paret, Peace with Justice coordinator]
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Early Response Training courses set; space for trailers being sought
The Rev. Hollie Tapley, disaster response coordinator, has scheduled four early response training sessions, through the end of April.
Currently on the schedule are (all in Kansas):
Saturday, Nov. 19, Haysville United Methodist Church;
Saturday, Dec. 3, Belleville UMC;
Saturday, Feb. 18, Ellis UMC;
Saturday, April 29, Chapel Hill UMC, Wichita.
Individuals must be 18 years and older, able to perform task such as tarping a roof, picking up debris and removing carpet and drywall. All ERTs must complete Safe Gatherings (www.safegatherings.com) and complete the entire ERT training prior to becoming credentialed. Registration is available at www.greatplainsumc.org/register.
The Disaster Response Ministry is looking for a location to park three trailers (shower trailer, support trailer and a tool trailer). The Wichita area would be the best location for the tool trailer. Please contact Rev. Hollie Tapley at htapley@greatplainsumc.org.
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Administration
Open house at Baker features new exhibit, chance to view archives
Everyone is invited to attend an open house for the Quayle Bible Collection and the archives for Baker University and Kansas United Methodism at a special event from 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.
The Bible collection and archives are housed in the Collins Library at Baker, 518 Eighth St. in Baldwin City, Kansas. This event commemorates the opening of the newly renovated archives and the new Quayle exhibit, “Women in the Book of Genesis.”
The event is free, and refreshments will be served.
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Other
Omaha church sponsors post-election ‘Service of Unity’
With the election cycle over, regardless of party affiliation, healing needs to take place to move our country forward. The afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 13, offers the Omaha metro community the opportunity with “A Service of Unity” based loosely in the style of an Anglican Evensong.
This will be an intentional time for prayerful reflection on the divisions we have endured and the conscience decision to pledge ourselves to living in harmony with one another. The 4 p.m. service will take place in the sanctuary of St. Paul United Methodist Church, located at 54th and Northwest Radial Highway in Omaha.
The music will be provided by the combined choirs of All Saints Episcopal Church, choirmaster/organist Laura Palmer and the Rev. Jerry Brabec, minister of worship. All are welcome to join the faith community in a time of prayerful reconciliation and healing.
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Across the Connection
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Newsletters
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Blogs and Opinion
In Layman’s Terms: Todd Seifert, conference communications director shares one more thought about energizing churches. During charge conference season, he encourages congregations to venture forward into the fog of our collective ministry.
Bishop Ough asks if you are prepared to vote: The chair of the Council of Bishops urges all United Methodists in the United States to exercise their right to vote on Election Day.
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Classifieds
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