Wednesday, November 16, 2016

The Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "In Memoriam - Rev. Charles A. Moorer" for Wednesday, 16 November 2016

The Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "In Memoriam - Rev. Charles A. Moorer" for Wednesday, 16 November 2016
The Rev. Dr. Charles A. Moorer, 90, a retired clergy member of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference died Monday, Nov. 14, 2016 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was born on September 23, 1926 in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
He attended Perkins School of Theology followed by Doctor of Ministry Degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California. Charles married Ruth Miletus Justice on August 18, 1952 in Dallas, Texas. They had five children – Paul, Lynn, Peter, Robert, and Jenny.
Charles served the following churches: College Hill in Wichita, Kansas; Brady & Banner, Cairo, Boelus & Ebenezer, Peru & Brock and Director of Student Work at Peru State College, Minden, Wauneta & Mt. Zion, Elwood & Orafino, Mira Valley & Arcadia in Loop Cooperative Parish, Murdock & Alvo, Murdock & Eagle, Holdrege, Ragan & Wilcox, Silver Creek & Fairview in Nebraska; Retired in 1993. Charles was also a Chaplain for the Civil Air Patrol – Nebraska Wing and then the New Mexico Wing.
Charles is survived by his wife, the Rev. Ruth Moorer, 3865 Mondale Loop, Las Cruces, NM 88005 as well as two of his children, Lynn Moorer who has been living with them, and Robert Moorer.
A service will be held Monday, Nov. 28, 2016 at 2 p.m. at Saint Paul UMC, 225 W. Griggs, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Memorials may be sent to Saint Paul United Methodist Church Scholarship Fund, 225 W. Griggs, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88005.
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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
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The Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 16 2016
Download the printable version of the Nov. 16 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
MERCY AND JUSTICE
ADMINISTRATION
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
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United Methodist Student Sunday coming up in two weeks

Sunday, Nov. 27, is United Methodist Student Sunday. You can celebrate this day by praying for college students and gathering an offering to help finance their education.
Nebraska Wesleyan, Kansas Wesleyan, Southwestern College and Baker University understand the value of a good education. Students at these colleges who are also members of the United Methodist Church receive scholarships that are made possible by mission shares from the churches of the Great Plains Conference and by the special offering gathered on United Methodist Student Sunday.
If you have any student in college, make sure to recognize him/her during worship. Take time to pray for them as part of your worship service. Also, encourage them to apply for scholarships. United Methodists have always understood the value of a college education. Through this Sunday’s special offering students are provided the means to achieve one. I am including a few links that might be helpful for you as you plan worship and for your students as they pursue higher education.
Resources to use in worship:
Please keep in mind that while United Methodist Student Sunday is Nov. 27, individual churches can designate any Sunday to observe it.
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UMC #GivingTuesday 2016 scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29
On Nov. 29, United Methodists will once again come together to support the work of Advance projects and missionaries on UMC #GivingTuesday.
This year, consider supporting a project that is working in an area you care about, such as hunger and poverty, education, or social justice. For a complete list of projects, visit The Advance.
Global Ministries would love to hear about creative ways in which you are raising awareness and funds for mission — especially what you are planning for UMC #GivingTuesday. Should you have any questions about UMC #GivingTuesday, please contact advance@umcmission.org.
Find UMC #GivingTuesday banners/ads, FAQs, impact stories, and links to videos and other resources to help you participate in the campaign at www.umcmission.org/giving-tuesday/resources.
Use www.umcmission.org/give to make your donation Nov. 29.
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Clergy Excellence
Young people, worship among topics for Orders & Fellowship gathering

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, 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.
Child care is offered onsite at the Bicentennial Center for children age 6 weeks to 6 years old. Parents must register in order to receive child care by the strict deadline of Dec. 14. Child care registrations will not be accepted after this date.
Register for Orders & Fellowship. Fill out the childcare registration form.
Contact Dana Reinhardt at dreinhardt@greatplainsumc.org with any questions.
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Save on travel, renew boundary training prior to Orders & Fellowship

Boundary 201, the renewal course for those who have previously had Boundary/Ethics training, is scheduled for Jan. 17, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Salina, the day before Orders & Fellowship. Boundary training must be renewed every four years. Most likely, if you have been in ministry for more than four years, you need your training renewed if you did not take a course (either 101 or 201) in 2015 or 2016. You can check your renewal date by calling or emailing your district office.
We will add additional trainings on Jan. 17 as needed.
This training will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5:30 p.m. The cost for lunch and the participant book is $25, but the Board of Ordained Ministry is covering a portion of this, so your cost is only $10.
Please register here. Refunds will be given only if cancellation is made at least two weeks before the training.
More Boundary 101 courses and additional Boundary 201 courses will be scheduled for late January and early February. Watch GPconnect for information. You may also contact your district office for information, or the Rev. Nancy Lambert by email at nlambert@greatplainsumc.org.
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Equipping Disciples
Church of the Resurrection launches resources website

After years of providing resources to more than 14,000 churches across the United States, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has developed a website – www.sharechurch.com – to make it even easier for clergy and lay leadership across the United Methodist connection and beyond to obtain resources to help their churches attain ministry goals.
“We’ve had this kind of vision since we started the church,” said the Rev. Adam Hamilton, lead pastor and founder of Church of the Resurrection. The well-known author and speaker said one goal for the church since its inception was for it to be a “living laboratory.”
Resources on sharechurch.com are all aimed at helping renew local churches, expand ministries or help smooth the administration of congregations.
Hundreds of resources already have been made available, including entire sermon series, curriculum for small groups and Sunday school classes, tips for preparing for mission trips, children’s ministry materials, congregational care how-to documents and even administrative forms.
Learn more about ShareChurch.
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Great Plains offers summer opportunities for young adults

As Thanksgiving break comes closer and the end of the semester quickly follows for college students, it’s the time that students start thinking about their plans for the summer of 2017.
The Great Plains Conference is has opened the applications for Great Plains internships and summer staff at our Great Plains camps.
To learn more information about the Great Plains Internships, go to www.greatplainsumc.org/internships. To share more information about the Great Plains camps, www.greatplainsumc.org/camps.
Information and applications for internships in other ministry areas are available on the Great Plains Conference website, with interviews starting as early as January. If your church has summer internship opportunities for young adults that you would like to connect people to for Summer 2017, please contact nconard@greatplainsumc.org. Thank you for passing along this valuable information to our young adults as we seek to develop young leaders in our conference!
Watch a video featuring past interns.
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Church teams sought for second session of Reaching New Neighbors

As the first groups in the multicultural incubator Reaching New Neighbors conclude their training on Nov. 12, more church teams are being sought for the 2017 sessions, beginning in February.
Church teams include a pastor and at least three lay leaders, with up to 12 per church welcome. The teams will use the Appreciative Inquiry process to strengthen its ministry. The six sessions, all from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Saturdays, will include information on team building, covenants and accountability, context and dreaming, designing ministries, communication and short- and long-term initiatives and celebrating new possibilities and making adjustments.
More information is available from Corey Daniel Godbey, coordinator of Hispanic Ministry, at 316-684-0266 or cgodbey@greatplainsumc.org and on this flier.
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Learn about mission trips that stick at free youth-leader event
Led by Hank Hilliard, youth minister at First United Methodist Church in Franklin, Tennessee, this workshop will equip you do design and lead a short-term mission trip that will stick:
Fuel the desire in your students to serve in various ways throughout the year.
Transform participants in some way.
Align with the long-term discipleship plan of your ministry.
Participants will walk through several aspects of creating an effective mission trip, including building the right adult team, training participants, selecting the right trip and making sure you are meeting the needs of those you are serving.
Hilliard will share some things that are working – or that have not worked – from his 20-plus years of experience as well as insight and best practices he has picked up along the way.
There is no cost to participate. The first 10 people who register for each location will receive a free copy of “Reentry: What I Learned on my Mission trip,” Hilliard’s workbook for students who participate in mission trips.
This event is offered in three locations and is open to anyone who would like to deepen the impact of the mission trips they offer with young people. This is not a promotion for any particular mission trip, agency, or opportunity. It's simply learning make the learning that takes place on a mission trip stick with your students!
Dates are:
Thursday, Dec. 1, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Aldersgate UMC, Wichita.
Thursday, Dec. 1, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at De Soto UMC, De Soto, Kansas.
Friday, Dec. 2, 10:30 a.m. to noon at Faith Westwood UMC, Omaha.
Registration is helpful, but not required, at https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/MissionTripsthatStick
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Lay Servant Ministries provides chance for powerful testimony

Sometimes, we have to adapt how we do things to meet people where they are. Such was the case with the basic training course for Lay Servant Ministries in the Wichita East District.
Dion Lefler, LSM director for that district, shares how 11 people graduated the basic course and how the telling of their stories provided a powerful testimony.
Read Lefler’s blog.Stories won't stay bottled up thanks to Lay Servant Ministry opportunity
Lay Servant Ministries
I confess that I felt a great degree of trepidation late last year when I accepted the role of Wichita East District director of the Lay Servant Ministries program.
How much time would it take? How much would it cut into my own march toward lay speakership? Would I be spending my all my time filling out paperwork instead of actively pursuing ministry in my community?
But what I've come to realize is that ministry comes in more forms than I'd imagined. And it is as rewarding to help others on their path as it is to walk my own.
Here at Wichita East, we just completed a very successful basic lay servant class. We started with 12, and despite some threatening weather that knocked us off schedule, graduated 11. Seven of our people are now in the advanced class in preaching.
It was a far cry different from last year, when the basic class was canceled due to lack of registrants.
Here's how we turned it around: Instead of a traditional two-day, retreat-style class, we spread the instruction over four consecutive Tuesday nights. I think John Wesley would have approved. If the people aren't coming to you, you have to go to where the people are.
Getting people to come to the basic class is an interesting exercise in evangelism among believers. You have to reach out to people who may not even know what a lay servant is and let them know how it will help them to grow in their faith and service.
I knew there were those who had considered it but maybe weren't comfortable with the travel, the overnight stay and the expense involved in meals, lodging, etc.
I figured we might get a few people off the fence if we worked around their schedules and took down some of the hurdles.
Then there was getting the word out.
To do that I called as many pastors in and around Wichita as I could reach, singing the praises of how having some trained people around could help them and asking them for recommendations of people in their congregations who might benefit from the training we offer.
The Rev. Charles Claycomb, a popular and respected teacher in the local church, was kind enough to step out of retirement and lace on his preacher sneakers one more time to serve as our instructor.
We made sure that each person in the class, whether they think they want to go on to preach or not, got the chance to tell the story of their faith journey, built around the simple question of: “When did God become more than a word to you?”
They told stories of revelation, of that moment when they fully realized the gift that Jesus brought to our world and to their life.
Some had grown up in the church and came to see Jesus acting in their life that way. Others joined the church as adults when they realized something was missing from their lives. A few had turned away from the church and eventually turned back to it.
All the stories were powerful, and I cherish every one of them.
In my own very first sermon, I preached that God's love isn't like a bus you can miss. It's like a giant moving sidewalk. You can step on whenever you want to, and you can step on wherever you are. And sometimes it will move fast, and sometimes it will move slow, but if you stay on, it will always take you where you need to be.
And it was as I listened to those stories that I realized that I am in the place right now where God intended me to be. Now that those folks are lay servants, their stories won't stay bottled up forever. They'll be shared again by those 11 disciples who graduated from our little class in the undercroft.
And maybe, just maybe, they'll help some others find their way to the grace and love of our lord Jesus Christ.
And for me, that has made this past year entirely worthwhile.
Learn more about Lay Servant Ministries in the Great Plains Conference.
Dion Lefler is Lay Servant Ministries director in the Wichita East District.- See more at: http://www.greatplainsumc.org/blogdetail/stories-wont-stay-bottled-up-thanks-to-lay-servant-ministry-opportunity-6662672#sthash.veZ8XkPW.dpufLearn more about Lay Servant Ministries in the Great Plains Conference.
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Mercy & Justice
Deadline drawing near to apply for grants to address poverty

The 2016 Great Plains Annual Conference session voted to create the Poverty Alleviation Initiative, which has as one of its goals the plan to provide seed money to initiate sustainable and relationship-based programs that address poverty. Grants are now available to help churches do the necessary work.
While Circles, Networx and Bridges Out of Poverty training have been suggested models, churches are not limited to initiating these programs with the grant money. These grants are available prior to congregations incurring any costs. The deadline for applications is Nov. 30.
Grants may be as large as $6,000 to be distributed each January over a three-year period. While the dollar amount may not allow for the creation of a robust program by itself, the funds can be a catalyst for securing resources necessary to continue to grow an effective poverty-alleviation program.
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Poverty issues tackled in Lincoln workshop, panel discussion

Discussions and testimonials regarding gender, race, poverty and the environment were the focus of an event dubbed “For the Transformation of the World” Oct. 29 at First United Methodist Church in Lincoln.
A panel discussion about poverty highlighted the morning events, while the remainder were discussed in several workshops. The event, which was presented by the Mercy and Justice team of the Great Plains Conference, drew about 60 participants.
Read about the discussions and see a photo gallery.
Poverty issues addressed in Lincoln workshop, panel discussion
Discussions and testimonials regarding gender, race, poverty and the environment were the focus of an event dubbed “For the Transformation of the World” Oct. 29 at First United Methodist Church in Lincoln.
A panel discussion about poverty highlighted the morning events, while the remainder were discussed in several workshops.
The event was presented by the Mercy and Justice team of the Great Plains Conference.
“You are truly friends of justice,” the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary of the General Board of Church & Society, told the 60 participants. “I think you all should teach other annual conferences how to do this.”
In a talk preceding a morning panel discussion, Henry-Crowe said that the root causes of poverty have to be confronted.
“Racial and economic unrest has to be addressed and eradicated,” she said.
Henry-Crowe was joined on the panel by the Rev. Mark Holland, pastor of Trinity UMC in Kansas City, Kansas, as well as the mayor of the nearly 150,000-person city; and the Rev. Charlotte Abram, a retired United Methodist pastor active in social issues in Omaha.
Holland gave a history of Kansas City, Kansas, including both its steep decline in population and sharp upturn in poverty levels and crime.
“We have pretty acute poverty in our city,” he said.
Alongside the increase in poverty comes a decrease in mental health services, he said. He called it a “chicken-and-the-egg” conundrum that worsens the situation.
“The scope of it is so overwhelming,” Holland said.
“We have an obligation as a people, as a community, to address the root causes of poverty,” he added. “Our role goes from direct service to advocacy.”
Abram said that churches need to be at the forefront of the fight against poverty.
“We can prayerfully stand up and stand with,” she said, “but also speak up and speak out.”
She refuted the counter to the Black Lives Matter protest by those saying that “All Lives Matter.”
“Historically, ‘all’ has not meant ‘all’ in this country,” she said.
“When people of faith acknowledge that, we acknowledge that we all can live together,” Abram added.
Henry-Crowe said six factors gauge the levels of poverty: education, fair wages, family planning, water, housing and access to goods and services.
All of the panelists agreed that race is a factor in poverty.
“We need to lead the conversation that racism is real,” Holland said. “We are fools not to address it head-on.”
Henry-Crowe said that The United Methodist Church has a long history in fighting poverty, back to John Wesley’s call for a “decriminalization” of poverty.
“It’s in our DNA,” Henry-Crowe said.
Afternoon workshops included talk about healthy families, by Gina Gile, pastor of Dakota City-Homer UMCs in Nebraska, and Pauline Muchina, director of the Healthy Families/Healthy Planet initiative by the General Board of Church and Society; race, led by Glory Kathurima, a member of the Norfolk, Nebraska, UMC; environment, led by Bonnie McCord, an ordained elder with the Chadron, Nebraska, UMC; and gender relations, led via Skype by Margi Ault-Duell, a longtime social justice educator who grew up in Kansas.
The Rev. Kalaba Chali, mercy and justice coordinator for the Great Plains Conference, said in closing that participants were on the road to do the right thing.
“You do care,” Chali said. “You do want to walk humbly with God.”
Participants said they were encouraged by the panel discussion and the workshops.
“It was good to worship and reconnect with people working on common causes,” said the Rev. Sherry Sklenar, pastor of Pawnee City-Burchard-DuBois, Nebraska, UMCs.
“We absolutely loved the workshops,” said Wendy Kabler of Wichita, attending with her husband, Craig, as part of a delegation from Aldersgate UMC. “All the information that we learned and connections that we made were invaluable.”
“The environment workshop was incredible,” Craig Kabler added. “It was just enjoyable, with lots to learn. I’d do it again.”
The Kablers said the social justice team at Aldersgate would meet soon to map out its vision for 2017.
“This is another resource given to us,” Craig Kabler said.
The Rev. Sarah Marsh, of the Lawrence, Kansas-based Justice Matters and chairperson of the conference, said she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of the participants.
“We talked about systemic issues, we talked about problems in dealing with poverty in the community and we had a lot of great energy about the topics,” she said.
Contact David Burke, communications coordinator for the Great Plains Conference, at dburke@greatplainsumc.org.-------
Refugees from Afghanistan, Somalia share their stories

“Sometimes when you hear the media talk about refugees, the only thing possible to see is that they are bad people,” said The Rev. Kalaba Chali, Mercy & Justice coordinator of the Great Plains Conference. “Well, actually several refugees put themselves in harm’s way to support the freedom we enjoy in this country. We, in the Great Plains Conference, have been listening and learning from the stories of refugees who helped the US military both in Afghanistan and Iraq as interpreters. Serving as interpreters risked their lives and the lives of their family members. Meet two persons who came here as refugees, may be, just maybe you would think twice about who the refugees are.”
God calls us to welcome the stranger among us. What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ?
Watch this new video that features a person from Afghanistan and one from Somalia sharing their stories in their own words.
Learn more about refugee ministries in the Great Plains.
For more information, contact the Rev. Hollie Tapley at htapley@greatplainsumc.org.
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Participate in Global AIDS Special Sunday Offering on Dec. 4

The Great Plains Conference has been supporting the Global AIDS Fund since its beginning with its predecessor conferences having been very involved in this work. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1.2 million people were living with HIV in the United States, and approximately 50,000 people are newly infected with HIV each year.
In both of our states we have organizations we can collaborate with. Here is a story from First United Methodist Church in Norfolk, Nebraska, partnering with the Nebraska AIDS Project:
The Nebraska AIDS Project, or NAP, is a statewide organization working with people living with HIV/AIDS. The Norfolk office covers 20 counties in northeast Nebraska and works with approximately 35 people.
For the past four years, First UMC in Norfolk has been awarded grant funds through the Great Plains Global AIDS Fund and has worked closely with the Norfolk office of the NAP to provide assistance to those living with HIV in our communities. Through these grants, support has been given with items that aren’t available through other programs or agencies.
“We have helped with personal care items, clothing, school supplies, prescription costs, and gasoline. Approximately half of the people who work with the Norfolk office have received assistance through this grant and are appreciative of this help,” said Christin Woockman from NAP.
“A gentleman, who moved here from another state, came into the NAP office to complete the needed paperwork. I provided him and his family with a grocery voucher to help out since they had moving costs. They were so thankful and said they never received a gift like this from the other agencies they worked with. Recently, I had two occasions where people told me they didn’t have money for food and had not eaten for a couple days. There are food pantries and other agencies that offer food assistance, but it takes time. Having funds available at First UMC made it possible for me to get money right away so they could pick up food.”
The United Methodist Global AIDS Fund is providing a needed ministry to those living with HIV/AIDS in Nebraska and Kansas. Besides making some limited funding available, the overarching goal is to raise awareness and educate people.
Please give generously (Advance special #982345). Twenty-five percent of the offerings remain in our conference, the other part goes to projects around the world.
If your church is interested in learning more, go to http://www.greatplainsumc.org/globalaidsfund or contact LeEllen Haynes at leellen.haynes@yahoo.com.
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Administration
GPconnect will take Thanksgiving week off, resume publication Nov. 30
The weekly GPconnect email newsletter will not publish the week of Nov. 23because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Publication will resume on its normal Wednesday schedule beginning Nov. 30.
Be sure to "like" the Great Plains Conference's Facebook page and follow it for any news of interest that arises next week and beyond.
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Order business cards through conference office

If you are in need of business cards, send your name, church or agency affiliation, address, phone numbers, email and website to Roxie Delisi at rdelisi@greatplainsumc.org.
She will be placing a bulk order in the next few days, so now is a great time to place your order and receive your business cards quickly. The cost is approximately $35 for 500 cards.
An example – in this case, from Todd Seifert, conference communications director – accompanies this item so you can see the design of the cards.
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Annual conference session to be shortened by a half day in 2017

The annual conference session planning team has announced that this year’s session will be shortened slightly, with the event still running June 7-10in Grand Island, Nebraska, but with the event not starting until approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday instead of the usual morning sessions for clergy and laity.
The announcement came after the group’s first meeting with Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. on Nov. 7 in Manhattan, Kansas, and in response to surveys filled out by attendees to previous annual conferences expressing the desire to shorten the duration of the session.
The opening worship service likely will begin at approximately 7 p.m. June 7at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island, with the clergy and laity sessions taking place June 8. Adjournment is anticipated by noon Saturday, June 10.
More details will be available in the coming weeks and months. Follow the Great Plains Conference’s Facebook page or check GPconnect for more information as it becomes available.
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Across The Connection
Hastings First UMC becomes ‘Immigrant Welcoming Community’

Hastings First United Methodist Church began a journey in October 2015 to become a certified “Immigrant Welcoming Community.” Staff came from General Board of Church and Society in Washington, D.C., to conduct that October training and two more trainings that followed in March and November.
First Church submitted a document to Kristin Kumpf, the director of organizing at GBCS, who also leads the trainings, describing what the church has done to reach out and welcome our new neighbors.
Church members have been addressing poverty by participating in a mobile food pantry once a month called United Harvest. About 200 families, representing more than 600 people, line up each month to receive food. Those who are served are both Latino and Anglo people. The distribution begins with prayer that we can create relationships with our guests, that we can share the love of God and that people will respond to that love.
More than a year ago, ESL classes began, taught by Sandy Sypherd. She and her students have been included in a number of events and activities in the church. She and her ESL students were invited to the annual table-setting event, and they decorated their table with the theme of Latin America. In addition to ESL classes, Spanish classes were also offered for several weeks to help Anglo members of the church experience how difficult it is to learn a second language as an adult.
Two adult ESL students from El Salvador were featured in the first webinar that the Great Plains Conference Refugee Task Force conducted March 10. They were interviewed and explained why they left everything behind to find safety and a better life in the United States. Members of First Church watched the webinar together.
Last June, Micah Corps interns came and spoke about immigration and in the afternoon a gathering was conducted with the ESL students who shared their personal stories of how and why they chose to come to this country. It was difficult and heart-wrenching for the students to talk about leaving their family members and friends behind and everything they had ever known to come here in search of a better life.
First Church participates in the Grace Community Garden, which is located at Grace United Methodist Church. Gardeners consist of people from both churches, from the ESL classes and from the community. An annual “Celebrating the Harvest” meal brings all the gardeners together in a different setting and the emphasis is healthy living and creating incarnational relationships with one another.
The vision of First Church is to continue to find ways to be people of faith demonstrating “Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors;” to explore ways to be welcoming to all people which includes our newest neighbors.
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Group of clergy in southeast Kansas grows over the past year

The Southeast Kansas Clergy Consultation Group -- hosted by First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg, Kansas -- is an ecumenical group started last year. It also includes Episcopalian and Evangelical Lutheran pastors, in full communion with each other.
The group is learning a great deal from each other, and also meets the requirement of continuing education.
Members include, from left, Rev. April Wegehaupt (First UMC, Chanute), Rev. Jill Chambers (Via Christi Hospital, Pittsburg), Rev. Wayne Handle (Baxter Springs UMC), Rev. Michael Ricci-Roberts (Altamont-Mound Valley UMCs), Rev. Earl Haggard (First UMC, Independence), Rev. Thomas Wehrman (St. John Lutheran, Pittsburg), Rev. Dallas Peterson (Girard-Farlington UMCs), Dr. Jim Godbey, facilitator (Counseling and Meditation Center and retired elder, Dodge City), Rev. Will Kenyon (Caney UMC), and Rev. Mark Chambers (First UMC, Pittsburg).
The group has already outgrown two other rooms. It has become a successful clergy group.
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In Other News
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Blogs & Opinions

In Layman’s Terms: This Thanksgiving remember that we’re blessed to be a blessing – Todd Seifert, conference communications director, writes about how the holiday is rooted in God’s command to the ancient Israelites to give thanks.
Why I wear a safety pin – The Rev. Evelyn Fisher, conference director of congregational excellence, explains that she wears a safety pin to show she pledges to be a safe person for immigrants, people of color and others who feel marginalized after the recent election.
Pastors can help heal after election – The Rev. Junius Dotson, top executive of United Methodist Discipleship Ministries and a member of the Great Plains Conference, offers advice about how pastors can help.
Ministry with the poor – A trip with students started with fear, but the “raw, honest truth of Jesus” washed it away.
10 ways to reach the unchurched at Christmas – The Lewis Center for Church Leadership provides some ideas.
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Newsletters
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Classifieds
To view these and other classifieds, go to greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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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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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
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The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 9 November 2016

Download the printable version of the Nov. 9 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
MERCY AND JUSTICE
ADMINISTRATION
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Church leaders focus on vital congregations for new quadrennium

Jacksonville, Florida -- About 750 leaders of The United Methodist Church gathered in Jacksonville last week to start the new quadrennium focused on the mission of cultivating vital congregations to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Among the delegation from the Great Plains was Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., and extended cabinet members, pictured here at an impromptu meeting outside the hotel.
Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of the Council of Bishops, said the council began planning and praying for this Extended Cabinet Summit nearly two years ago.
“This summit grew out of the Council’s commitment, forcefully stated in our 2012 Call to Action, to redirect the resources and energy of the denomination, including our own leadership resource, to increase the number of vital congregations throughout our global connection,” Ough said.
Bishop Mike Lowry, chair of the task force on the Extended Cabinet Summit, said the greatest thing that we as a denomination can be about together is building vital congregations. “We state it in our Discipline and we believe it with both our hearts and minds that local congregations are where disciples are made,” Bishop Lowry said.
He said the task force wanted to present an experience done “with faithfulness and fruitfulness in a manner and style that lifted up the best of the Gospel, that was Christ-centered, that was excellent in its presentation and deep in its thinking.”
“We have observed that vital congregations are effective in developing principled Christian leaders, creating new places for new people, engaging in ministries with the poor and improving global health,” Bishop Ough said. “We have observed that conferences that are creating cultures of vitality have adapted their organizational and governance structures; they are guided by data and intentional missional outcomes; they are calling forth courageous, spirit-led leaders; they are helping existing congregations launch new mission-driven life cycles; they are starting new faith communities; they are learning to innovate.”
Bishop Ough said that nearly every annual conference is scrambling to innovate and help congregations and leaders adapt to rapidly changing mission fields.
“I’m just as excited about the future of The United Methodist Church today as I was when I entered in 1978 as a 17-year-old kid,” Bishop Bob Farr of the Missouri Episcopal Area said. “I see lots of islands of hope. I see lots of new ministries, people doing creative things … I’m very hopeful because of the local church and the work that local churches are doing in their mission fields.”
Bishop Farr’s comments resonated with the Rev. Mark Ogren, director of congregational excellence for the Virginia Annual Conference. “I share that kind of enthusiasm within the framework of the sociological issues that have impacted our church here in the United States the last 40 or 50 years.”
Ogren shared the story of Scott Memorial United Methodist Church, a legacy church in the Virginia Conference, and a new faith community, the Gathering, and the partnership the two of them share which he says is an exciting part of what can be the future for The United Methodist Church. (Watch the video here)
Bishop Sally Dyck of the Chicago Episcopal Area reported on the work of the four areas of focus and how they present missional opportunities for churches.
Some of the achievements over the past few years in the Areas of Focus include:
Planting more than 500 new churches in the U.S. and nearly 1,700 new church and faith communities in the Central Conferences.
Providing theological education in remote areas all over the world through the distribution of e-readers.
Awarding more than 1,700 seminarians more than $4 million in scholarships.
Conducting experiential training for hundreds of mission-oriented members and leaders across the United States.
Training United Methodist health boards across the continent of Africa.
Distributing more than 2 million nets and impacting more than 4 million lives through Imagine No Malaria.
Deploying more than 300 missionaries all over the world.
Bishop Lowry said that you can almost instinctively tell when you are in a vital congregation.
“You know it when you see it and experience it … you can feel it. When you walk in and say, ‘Something’s going on here.’ What’s amazing about it is that it’s not limited to ‘in here,’ it goes out into the world so that a benediction of the worship service really is a sending … and when you come to engage, you come to be a part of the mighty workings of God.”
It is planned that similar events will take place in the central conferences as well.
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Great Plains represented
at 'Next' gathering in Atlanta

More than 70 young adults and their leaders from within the boundaries of the Great Plains Conference attended “Imagine Next,” a student movement comprised mostly of college students seeking to make a difference in the world today, Nov. 4-6 in Atlanta.
The event is sponsored by the United Methodist Student Movement and happens every two years. It is designed for 18- to 24-year-olds who are interested leadership. The theme was “Dream. Go, Do,” in which the young adults were inspired to use their leadership gifts for how God is calling them to lead in the world. In alternate years, the event “Exploration” is conducted and helps young adults discern a call to vocational or ordained ministry.
The Great Plains Campus Ministries group chartered a bus that picked up many of the participants from Salina and Topeka before driving all through the day Friday to Atlanta.
All four of the United Methodist colleges in the Great Plains brought students, including Nebraska Wesleyan, led by the Rev. Eduardo Bousson; Kansas Wesleyan, led by Scott Jagodzinske; Southwestern College, led by the Rev. Ben Hanne; and Baker University, led by the Rev. Kevin Hopkins.
Four of our United Methodist campus ministries at state schools were represented: University Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State, Fort Hays State and Emporia State.
The worship band for the event was the Worship Outreach Band from Southwestern College (pictured here), led by Martin Rude. Daniel Reffner, Southwestern student, was one of the speakers at the event.
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Clergy excellence
Reaching young adults is focus of 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, 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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Equipping disciples
Church teams sought for second session of Reaching New Neighbors

As the first groups in the multicultural incubator Reaching New Neighbors conclude their training on Nov. 12, more church teams are being sought for the 2017 sessions, beginning in February.
Church teams include a pastor and at least three lay leaders, with up to 12 per church welcome. The teams will use the Appreciative Inquiry process to strengthen its ministry. The six sessions, all from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, will include information on team building, covenants and accountability, context and dreaming, designing ministries, communication and short- and long-term initiatives and celebrating new possibilities and making adjustments.
More information is available from Corey Daniel Godbey, coordinator of Hispanic Ministry, at 316-684-0266 or cgodbey@greatplainsumc.org and on this flier.
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Great Plains offers summer opportunities for young adults

As Thanksgiving break comes closer and the end of the semester quickly follows for college students, it’s the time that students start thinking about their plans for the summer of 2017.
The Great Plains Conference is has opened the applications for Great Plains internships and summer staff at our Great Plains camps.
Read information about the internships for camps and apply for camps internships. To share more information about the Great Plains Internships, go to www.greatplainsumc.org/internships To share more information about the Great Plains camps, www.greatplainsumc.org/camps.
Information and applications for internships in other ministry areas are available on the Great Plains Conference website, with interviews starting as early as January. If your church has summer internship opportunities for young adults that you would like to connect people to for Summer 2017, please contact nconard@greatplainsumc.org. Thank you for passing along this valuable information to our young adults as we seek to develop young leaders in our conference!

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Special offering to be taken
for United Methodist students
Our church is at its best when we reach out to sisters and brothers in need. Our generous gifts through the United Methodist Student Day offering provide scholarship funds, often for young people who are the first in their family to pursue higher education. On Nov. 29, our congregations will receive this special offering, which ensures a brighter future for United Methodist students.
Download the United Methodist Student Day pastor's kit at umcgiving.org/umsdkit.
Order leaflet offering envelopes and posters to enhance your United Methodist Student Day celebration at www.umcgiving.org/ss or call 1-888-346-3862.
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UM Men schedule
first winter retreat

All Kansas and Nebraska men are encouraged to join in face-to-face fellowship to connect with other brothers in Christ.
Bring a carload from your congregation to Camp Fontanelle (near Fremont, Nebraska) for the first Great Plains United Methodist Men retreat weekend, from 5 p.m. Feb. 17 to 10 a.m. Feb. 19. Come for just the day on Saturday, Feb. 18, or the whole event.
A brochure/flier for you to post on your church bulletin board, print or distribute to others is available.
Charley File, Great Plains UMMen President, recalls the words that God spoke to him 33 years ago, “All you have to do is show up, and I will show up.” One of our keynote speakers will be Rev. Rick Vance, Director of Men’s Ministry, General Commission on United Methodist Men.
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Youth in Five Rivers 'Stand Up Stand Out' in Project Revolution

Yet another team of youth took the helm to facilitate our annual youth rally, as we celebrated our ninth year of Project Revolution in Five Rivers.
The District Youth Council meet many times each year and plan the complete event from scripture, games, band choice, T-shirt creation and worship. Every year it is very different, as are the youth participating in its creation.
Many of the youth that begin attending in junior high are now in leadership positions. They help with the planning and implementing process for their peers and younger youth.
The amount of funds available has been up and down depending on the year. The one thing that remains the same; it is focused on sharing the love of Jesus with youth all over our district.
This year we were truly fortunate to have Tony Tillman perform for us. He is a nationally acclaimed rap artist from Nashville. Even though he is kind of a big deal, he was very down to earth and was great to spend time getting to know the DCYM youth and those that attended our event.
During his concert, Tony gave his testimony and talked about his personal relationship with Jesus and how that affected his complete life.
Peyton Durand, son of Russ and Eva Durand, created a rap after being encouraged to do so by Tony Tillman, and entertained us during the concert, as well as giving his personal testimony.
We want to thank Burlington UMC for a grant that helped us with the extra expenses we had for Tony’s travel.
We look forward to next year’s Project Revolution and the youth that will step forward to lead the district.
If you have a child or grandchild in high school that might be interested in DCYM, have them contact your district office. We began this group from scratch 10 years ago. With the help of our District Youth Coordinators, Tami Clark (Lawrence 1st), Richard Croll (Burlington) and Eva Durand (Baldwin 1st), many years of participating youth, parent volunteers and local church youth directors, it is still a very vital ministry.[Marvé Ralston, Five Rivers District]
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Five Rivers learns
at Fall Festival

Iola Wesley United Methodist Church in Kansas and the Iola United Methodist Women were the hosts of the Five Rivers District’s Fab Five Fall Festival on Oct. 1. Our guest speaker was Rev. Dr. David Lowes Watson, shown here. Youth from Burlington UMC were greeters. This learning opportunity was a response to a survey that went out to the district in 2015 from the District Leadership Team in Five Rivers. The leadership team tried to pull together a training event that best met the responses we received from our survey.
We began the day with lively worship lead by Mary Brooks (Lyndon UMC). After a greeting and short message by our District Superintendent, the Rev. David Watson, and Iola Wesley’s pastor, the Rev. Jocelyn Tupper, Dr. David Lowes Watson began the 1st session of the day.
The first teaching was on our identity as the church. “Who Are We?”
“We need to get to the depth of our calling and reaffirm it,” Dr. Watson said. “We tend to shape the church by the standards of society/popular response. We need to be prepared to look ridiculous if that is what the Lord requests.
“We are called to be a blessing to the world and not a gatekeeper,” he later said. “We should become known for telling folks they are doing what God loves, even if they aren’t Christians.
“Yes, we are born again, but how does that make a difference in how we live?”
The second session was about “forming Christian Disciples.” Dr. Watson talked about a small group format that nurtures discipleship as a craft. If discipleship is a craft, we cannot afford to lose it.
In the afternoon, the Baker University Speech Choir gave a thought-provoking talk about what millennials want to see in people of faith, with excerpts from the Barna Group studies.
The first afternoon session by Dr. Watson was “The Church in and for the World.” This was about our primary calling, to announce the coming reign of God on earth as in heaven. The church is sent to tell the world the good news that Earth is being redeemed in and through Jesus Christ, who will then call others to join us in that proclamation. The flaming center of our ministry is this message, not ourselves as messengers.
We ended the day with “Sharing the Gospel.” Dr. Watson talked about the benefits of small, more intimate groups where we hold each other accountable for spiritual growth and the benefits of mentoring new Christians.
This process is often laity-led, mentoring of new Christians and making sure they grow.
Watson stressed that there is “cost” to being a disciple. We often use the term disciple too loosely. The General Rules of the United Methodists are easy to understand, but difficult to do.
Dr. David Lowes Watson has written three books that we had available that day: “God Does Not Foreclose: The Universal Promise of Salvation,” “Covenant Discipleship: Christian Formation through Mutual Accountability” and “Forming Christian Disciples: The Role of Covenant Disciples and Class Leaders in the Congregation.”[Marve' Ralston, Five Rivers District]
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Mercy and justice
Sessions offer information
on Sanctuary Movement

“You, who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1 2
You will have the opportunity to learn from persons directly involved in the Sanctuary Movement. Hilda Ramírez and her son recently lived for 8 months in a church that offered her sanctuary.
Learn more about the Sanctuary Movement in two sessions this weekend:
1-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, First United Methodist Church, 614 N. Hastings Ave., Hastings.
1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, Grace United Methodist Church, 2418 E St., Omaha.
Congregations also are invited to Immigrant Welcoming Communities training with Kristin Kumpf, director of organizing, and Jeanie Ree Moore, director of civil and human rights, both staff at the General Board of Church and Society, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at First UMC, Hastings.
If you are interested to come, there are some funds available to help with mileage and lodging. For more information and to register please contact Sandy Sypherd ssypherd@windstream.net or Andrea Paret amparet08@yahoo.com.
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Administration
Annual Conference session
to be shortened by half a day

The annual conference session planning team has announced that this year’s session will be shortened slightly, with the event still running June 7-10 in Grand Island, Nebraska, but with the event not starting until approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday instead of the usual morning sessions for clergy and laity.
The announcement came after the group’s first meeting with Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. on Nov. 7 in Manhattan, Kansas, and in response to surveys filled out by attendees to previous annual conferences expressing the desire to shorten the duration of the session.
The opening worship service likely will begin at approximately 7 p.m.June 7 at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island, with the clergy and laity sessions taking place June 8. Adjournment is anticipated by noon Saturday, June 10.
More details will be available in the coming weeks and months. Follow the Great Plains Conference’s Facebook page or check GPconnect for more information as it becomes available.
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Tips, guidelines for clergy enrolling in health insurance coverage

Selecting the right health care coverage is important. The Great Plains Conference Pension and Health Benefits Team is aware of how complex healthcare coverage can be, especially with the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The conference has some helpful tips for enrolling in health care on the open market.
Download the 2017 guidelines and instructions.
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Across the Connection
Author Mark Scandrette to
speak in Wichita this week

Mark Scandrette, the founder of the San Francisco-based ReIMAGINE, a Center for Integral Christian Practice, will speak twice in Wichita this week.
Scandrette will talk from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the multipurpose room of Shocker Hall on the Wichita State University campus on the subject of “Live Free,” exploring “ancient wisdom and practical skills that can help you get more done, feel less stressed and get the rest you need.”
From 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, he will speak at University United Methodist Church, across from WSU on 21st Street, on “Practicing the Way of Jesus.”
Both are free.
Scandrette is a teacher, coach and activist, as well as the author of the books “Belong & Becoming: Creating a Thriving Family Culture,” “Free: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most,” “Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love” and “Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus.”
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Papillion youth raise $1,188
for Nothing But Nets campaign

The Royals youth group of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Papillion, Nebraska, raised $1,188 for the Bishop’s Nothing but Nets campaign – enough to buy 118 life-saving malaria nets. The youth sold doughnuts and took donations during two Sundays in October and did a skit during the church’s special 5th Sunday service on Oct. 31.
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In Other News
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Newsletters
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Blogs and Opinion

In Layman’s Terms: After election, regardless of winner, remember to put Kingdom over country – Todd Seifert, conference communications director, shares thoughts about how the church’s unified purpose can help heal a divided country.
A day of prayer at Standing Rock
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Classifieds
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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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