Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 30 November 2016

The Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Download the printable version of the Nov. 30 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
MERCY & JUSTICE
ADMINISTRATION
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Not too late to register to learn about mission trips for youth

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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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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Clergy Excellence
Young people, worship among topics for Orders & 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.
2017 Orders & Fellowship Meeting
The theme for the 2017 Orders and Fellowship, Jan. 18-19, at the Bicentennial Center (800 The Midway) in Salina, Kansas, is “Transforming. Entrepreneurial. Discipling.” The theme will focus on ministry with youth and young adults. Guest speakers, workshops and worship will assist in the focus to reach young adults born between 1977-2006 (Generation Y, echo boomers or millennials).
"This generation of young people are incredibly sophisticated, racially and ethnically diverse and highly missional, desiring to be involved in something that makes a transformational difference in the world, and yet they often see the church as irrelevant. Young people often do not connect to the worship at church, and so turn away from the church as the place in which to nurture their faith. As 21st century missiologists, we need to learn how to reach this large demographic of our population and become intentional in our missional work in the communities we serve as pastors. I invite you to come in January as we learn with each other.” - Bishop Ruben Saenz.

 The Orders and Fellowship meeting will begin with onsite registration check in from 7:30 to 9 a.m. with worship to follow on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The meeting will end at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19.
The featured guest speaker is author the Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean, an ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference. Dean is currently appointed as the coordinating pastor of Kingston United Methodist Church and the professor of youth, church and culture at Princeton 
Theological Seminary. Before becoming a professor Dean served as campus minister at the University of Maryland – College Park.
Also presenting is the Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady, an ordained elder currently serving as Senior Minister of Asbury First United Methodist Church in Rochester, New York, and adjunct faculty member at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. Cady holds a PhD in practical theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. Cady's research focus is on the role of congregational worship practices in the faith formation of youth and young adults. Stephen grew up in Olathe, Kansas.
Many hotel rooms are available at a discounted rate specifically for this event. Click on "lodging" found on the left of this webpage (or above, if viewing on your mobile device) to view a listing of hotels.
Plenary Presentations
Jan. 18 by Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean
Love Made Me an Inventor: The Church’s Entrepreneurial Moment and Why It Matters for Young People – Despite our stodgy reputations, churches were once cradles of missional creativity. We’ll explore some of those entrepreneurial origins, and some of the reasons young people find the current “entrepreneurial moment” in ministry so appealing as they redefine “church" for the 21st century.
How the Start Up Generation Is Changing the Way We Do Church – Both young people and churches routinely overlook the connection between mission and vocation—yet more than half of young adults say they want to do something that will have a “global impact," and one in three have started an entrepreneurial venture on the side. This workshop will explore how some churches are becoming “incubators” for sustainable missional innovation – and how you might even launch a sustainable idea for ministry without losing your soul (or your shirt).
Jan. 19 by Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady
Beyond Boredom: What Young People are Telling us about Worship – Putting it mildly, churches have known for many year that many (most?) young people have not found the worship of their congregations meaningful. To many congregations’ credit, they have both acknowledged the problem and tried many different solutions to fix it. One thing that we often fail to do, however, is to talk to the youth themselves. This workshop offers insights from young people about what is really missing from our corporate worship and begins to create a framework for a more faithful experience for all.
A Little Help from our Friends: Toward a more Meaningful Worship – Building on the earlier workshop, this session will look inside and outside of the church for communities that create a more meaningful experience for young people to see what might be gleaned from them. We will offer some hopeful suggestions for a way forward for United Methodist congregations concerned with developing lasting faith and meaningful worship practices.
Learn more about the plenary sessions.Speaker Bios
Our speakers at this year's Orders & Fellowship gathering will focus on young people and worship, both aspects of life in the church that can help build vitality among our congregations.
Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean
Kenda Creasy Dean is an ordained United Methodist minister and professor of youth, church and culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she works closely with the Institute for Youth Ministry. She hails from a family of Ohio farmers and Kentucky coal miners, but Kenda and her sister grew up primarily as P.K.s (“politician’s kids”), thanks to their dad’s career in the Ohio legislature, which introduced them to theological concepts like election(s), vocation and the salutary benefits of White Castle.
In off-election years, her mom and dad were both teachers. Her dad was her high school government teacher and debate coach, and her mom taught third grade. When Kenda was 15, she attended a church camp on Lake Erie that pretty much changed everything.
A graduate of Miami University (Ohio), Kenda and her husband, Kevin, taught at Ball State University before attending Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Before earning her doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary, she was a pastor and campus minister in Maryland. Dean is appointed as the coordinating pastor of Kingston United Methodist Church. Dean lives with her family in Princeton, New Jersey.
Dean has written several books about ministry with youth, including:
Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church
How Youth Ministry Can Change Theological Education—If We Let It
The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul-Tending for Youth Ministry
OMG: A Youth Ministry Handbook
Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church
Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady
Stephen Cady earned a doctorate in practical theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. His research focus is on the role of congregational worship practices in the faith formation of youth and young adults. His dissertation, “Creative Encounters: Toward a Theology of Magnitude for Worship with United Methodist Youth,” put qualitative research in local congregations into conversation with the theology of John Wesley and Howard Thurman. Stephen has been named a Timothy Scholar by The United Methodist Foundation for Evangelism, was twice the recipient of a Dempster Fellowship through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and is a John Wesley fellow.
Stephen is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church serving as the senior minister of Asbury First United Methodist Church in Rochester, New York, and an adjunct faculty member at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. Prior to serving Asbury First UMC, Stephen was under special appointment as the minister of Kingston United Methodist Church in Kingston, New Jersey. During Stephen’s tenure, Kingston was designated as a teaching congregation for young adults in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. Stephen also served for four years as the associate minister of Park Ridge Community Church in Park Ridge, Illinois. He attended seminary at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University and was ordained in the former Kansas East Annual Conference.
Stephen grew up in Olathe, Kansas, and attended Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, where he earned a bachelor’s of arts in theater. He was active on the stage and in commercials prior to entering seminary. Stephen and his wife, Emily, have three children, Ellie, Charlie and Hannah. Stephen enjoys running, collecting Superman memorabilia, and teaching people how to yo-yo.
Read about our featured speakers.

O&F Schedule

Here is the schedule for the 2017 Orders & Fellowship clergy gathering. Though subject to change, we anticipate this schedule being close to complete for our January gathering in Salina, Kansas.
Wednesday, Jan. 18
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.Registration 
8:30 – 8:50 a.m.Gathering worship
Welcome, introduction of Dr. Kenda Dean		Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr.
8:50 – 10:15 a.m.Speaker session # 1Dr. Kenda Dean
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.Break 
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.Speaker session # 2Dr. Kenda Dean
12:15 – 1:30 p.m.Lunch 
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.Workshop # 1 
2:30 – 3 p.m.Break 
3 – 4 p.m.Workshop # 2 
4:15 – 5:15 p.m.Conversation with Bishop Saenz (Q&A) 
5:15 – 6 p.m.Worship 
6 p.m.Adjourn 
   
Thursday, January 19
8:30 – 10 a.m.Speaker session #3Dr. Stephen Cady
10 – 10:30 a.m.Break 
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.Speaker session # 4Dr. Stephen Cady
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Closing worship with communion
WorkshopsTwo workshop times are built into the 2017 Orders and Fellowship schedule. When registering online for the event you will be asked to select two workshops of your preference. Listed here are descriptions for eight workshops as well as information on the presenters to help you decide. Click here to register after you make your decision.
Workshop # 1
How Your Church Can Turn a Hare-Brained Idea into a Sustainable Ministry
Description: Ever heard of design thinking or adaptive design? Bring your questions and your wild ideas to this interactive session to explore a process to see how to do more with what you’ve got than you thought possible as your congregations helps young people become your community’s most innovative representatives of Christ.
Presenter: Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean
This is the featured guest speaker for the Orders and Fellowship Meeting. Dean is an ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference. Dean is currently appointed as the coordinating pastor of Kingston United Methodist Church and the professor of youth, church and culture at Princeton Theological Seminary. Before becoming a professor Dean served as campus minister at the University of Maryland – College Park.
Workshop # 2
Q & A with Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean
Workshop # 3
Generational IQ
Description:
Never before have there been 5 generations living at the same time. With the research of Hayden Shaw’s “Generation IQ,” Fuller Youth Institute’s “Growing Young,” and Barna’s “Making Space for Millennials,” these three texts will illumine who God’s people are today and how we can be in relationship to each generation. Through looking at the generations and the emerging adulthood life stage, we can identify who is our community, what our church wants to do about it, and how we can develop the next generation of leaders.
Presenter: Rev. Nicole Conard
Rev. Nicole Conard is the coordinator of young leadership development in the Great Plains Conference, specifically focusing on campus ministries, internships and helping churches develop young leaders. Prior to this Nicole was a pastor in congregational care at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and has also served as the Transition into Ministry director of the Great Plains Conference. She has a Bachelor of Arts in religion and human services from Elon University in Elon, North Carolina and a Masters of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. After visiting John Wesley’s pilgrimage in England, she has a passion for the Methodist way of life and faith.
Workshop # 4
Mentor Training for the Great Plains
Description: This workshop is for two groups of people: (1) Anyone interested in serving as a mentor, and (2) All currently trained Great Plains mentors. Changes are on the horizon for Great Plains mentoring where the objectives are to shepherd candidates from call discernment, through fitness, readiness and effectiveness in ministry, to sustaining long-term ministry through covenant accountability groups. Are you interested in helping people become the best they can be? Then, join us! [Participation in this workshop is a pre-requisite to serving as a mentor starting in 2017-2018.]
Presenters: Representatives of the Board of Ordained Ministry
Workshop # 5
Searching for Unicorns
Description: Finding the right staff person who is called and equipped to join your staff can sometimes feel like a hunt for a mythical creature. We'll discuss how to find and capture (hire) these unique beings who are called to ministry with young people, Christian education, music ministry, etc. We'll learn how pastors can position staff members for success and help them thrive in the wilderness (your church and community).
Presenter: Shane Hinderliter
Shane Hinderliter is the local church youth ministry coordinator for the Great Plains Conference. He enjoys training youth leaders, helping churches find the right unicorn for them and hanging out with creative people.
Workshop # 6
The Church’s Song: Transforming. Entrepreneurial. Discipling.
Description: In this workshop, we will explore the current landscape of congregational song in the 21st century. How is it transforming (what new things are happening?)? How can it and how does it make disciples? And finally, how is the corporate music industry shaping what and how we sing? If we answer these questions, we can begin to fully understand how to minister to young adults and youth through our music ministries and congregational singing.
Presenter: Brian Hehn
Brian Hehn is the director of The Center for Congregational Song, which is a new resource and education center by The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada that will launch in October 2017. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from Wingate University, his Master of Sacred Music from Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, and is certified in children’s church music (K-12) by Choristers Guild. Brian is active as a drumming clinician, worship leader and song enlivener across the U.S. and Canada for many different denominations as well as ecumenical gatherings. He has articles published on sacred music and congregational song in multiple journals and co-authored the book "All Hands In: Drumming the Biblical Narrative," published by Choristers Guild. While working for The Hymn Society, he is also the director of music ministries at Arapaho United Methodist Church or Richardson, Texas, and adjunct professor of church music at Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina. Brian lives in Dallas, with his wife, Eve, and son, Jakob.
Workshop # 7
Basics of Live Streaming
Learn an economical way to live stream your worship services. This workshop is targeted towards small and mid-sized churches that already have some basic technological capacities (A/V system, computer, high-speed Internet), and are interested in exploring streaming.
We’re not experts - just pastors in a local church - but here is how we made livestreaming work for us by utilizing the existing parts of our system to stream our service so that our church family can participate when they are sick, traveling, homebound or in a nursing facility.
Presenters: Rev. Bill Gepford and Rev. Melissa Gepford
Bill and Melissa Gepford serve as a clergy couple at Tonganoxie UMC, where he is the senior pastor and she is the pastor of discipleship. They have both served in rural, urban and suburban areas, in a range of church sizes. They utilize social media and blogging as a way to communicate with their congregations and the larger community. You can find them on Facebook at Tonganoxie United Methodist Church, and you can read Melissa's blog at melissacolliergepford.com.
Workshop # 8
Basics of Social Media
Create social media content that informs, uplifts, and engages. In this workshop, we’ll discuss basic social media strategy and explore some of the most common platforms and tools to enable you to effectively communicate your message with your church and the broader community.
Presenters: Rev. Bill Gepford and Rev. Melissa Gepford
Bill and Melissa Gepford serve as a clergy couple at Tonganoxie UMC, where he is the senior pastor and she is the pastor of discipleship. They have both served in rural, urban and suburban areas, in a range of church sizes. They utilize social media and blogging as a way to communicate with their congregations and the larger community. You can find them on Facebook at Tonganoxie United Methodist Church, and you can read Melissa's blog at melissacolliergepford.com.
Learn more about the workshops.
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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Equipping Disciples
Christmas camp for
youth set at Fontanelle

As we celebrated Thanksgiving this past week, there are those out there who do not feel very thankful. There are children who feel their lives are upside down because of family illness, death or separation. Children are living without much because of their families’ financial situation.
The weekend of Dec. 16 will be a time for children/youth to get joy in their life at Christmas Camp at Camp Fontanelle. Camp Fontanelle is now taking registrations and donations for this year's Christmas Camp.
This camp is geared for 9- to 14-year-olds and will be a weekend filled with the love and joy of the Christmas season. Weather permitting, the campers will experience the Zipline, hear the Christmas story, take a Nativity hike and learn about the life that began in Bethlehem. A visit from Father Christmas will be a highlight of the weekend and, of course, there will be the great Camp Fontanelle food.
There is room for 40 campers at Christmas Camp. If you know someone who needs some light in their life, or, if you would like to donate to help support this camp event or sponsor a camper, please contact Jane Van Horn, camp coordinator, at 402-478-4296 or (cell) 402-278-0526.

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‘Holy Spirit’ conference set
for January at Camp Comeca

A conference, “Encountering the Holy Spirit,” will be Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28, at Camp Comeca, near Cozad, Nebraska.
Participants will learn about and experience the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit, according to a flyer on the event. Participants will be introduced to the Holy Spirit through scripture, tradition, reason and experience. Discussion will take place in small groups with discussion leaders in each group.
Speakers include the Revs. Valera and Jerry Heydenberk, retired United Methodist clergy; Dave Mendyk of Holdrege, Nebraska, vice president of the Great Plains United Methodist Men; and the Rev. Nora Mendyk, pastor of First United Methodist Church, Holdrege.
The cost for lodging at Camp Comeca is $80 for two in a room, $75 for one. Two Saturday meals at the Comeca dining room are $20.
Checks may be made to Holdrege First UMC, P.O. Box 30, Holdrege, NE 68949.
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Great Plains offers summer opportunities for young adults

As the end of the semester quickly approaches 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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Mercy & Justice
Peace with Justice Ministries offers scholarships for Ecumenical Days

Each year, representatives from the Great Plains Conference join hundreds of other justice-minded persons of faith in Washington, D.C., for a time of worship, prayer, discernment and action.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days, or EAD, 2017 is the 15th such national gathering in Washington, D.C. The theme for 2017 is “Confronting Chaos, Forging Community with a focus on the challenges of, and solutions to, racism, materialism and militarism.”
On the EAD website one can read the background why this theme was chosen: “When Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. posed the question, 'Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?' in his book of the same title 50 years ago, no one could have imagined that we would still be wrestling with this question today. … Sadly, we have witnessed chaos in many of our communities, challenging us as people of faith to speak and act boldly and courageously to end racism, materialism and militarism.
“A new time calls for new strategies. The dynamic movement of people of faith and conscience today to challenge these “giant triplets” of chaos is taking different forms from those of the civil rights era. But the same courage and commitment to bring about national and social transformation animates the new generation of activists. This year’s EAD gathering will address racism/white privilege, economic injustice and militarization at home and abroad.”
EAD 2017 is scheduled for April 21-24. United Methodist Women and The General Board of Church and Society are among its many sponsors. PWJ Ministries will make a few scholarships available which will pay for registration and for most of the travel and lodging.
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The Mustard Seed
Planting the things that make for peace.
Advent 2016
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests on his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Dear Great Plains peace advocates,
Fear, division, hate, exclusion… those are terms and feelings that are all around us these days. An urgent call for unity is voiced by many. But how do we define unity? And who are the ones calling for unity? Definitions of unity talk about a “singleness or constancy of purpose or action” or “mutual agreement, harmony.” How can we agree and be united when so many want to exclude whole groups of persons, want to treat people differently depending on their race, gender, gender orientation, socio-economic status, religion, cultural background?
As peace advocates, we see integrity as more
important than unity. Being a person of integrity means to be honest and live according to strong moral principles. In our baptismal vows, we accepted “the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”
As peace advocates, we need to show up. We
need to be present. We need to speak up. We
need to be witnesses for our God who calls us to be faithful and to share God’s love with all God’s beloved children. It is easy during the Advent and Christmas season to focus on our own families and friends, to stay away from controversial issues, to just want ‘peace’. But what kind of peace is this?
We sing about the “little town of Bethlehem” and to many of us this brings warm and comforting feelings. But do we think about the people living in Bethlehem today and how they suffer daily with us being complicit in causing their suffering?
We give offerings to help “those poor people”
but do we engage in getting to know them, in
supporting them in their struggles, in realizing that our silence, our complicity in the systems that are in place and that are being established cause unspeakable pain and suffering?
United Methodist Hispanic Youth shared in a
statement what they are experiencing:
“our hearts hurt and we are disappointed that our United Methodist Church and its Council of Bishops remains silent in the face of the growing wave of violence against people of color, women, undocumented persons, Muslims, immigrants and the LGBTIQ community. In the face of the growing wave of vandalism to Latinxs and African-American churches, our leaders have remained silent.
President of the Council of Bishops Bruce Ough sent a letter to congratulate the President-elect and to offer prayers without acknowledging that the homophobic, racist, xenophobic and misogynistic speech of Mr. Trump has given rise to a growing wave of active violence against our people…We feel
ignored and abandoned by the leadership of our church.”
M.A.R.C.H.A. Youth Council
Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18+19)
The task before us seems enormous and there
are times when we want to give up, when we
feel our little small voice will not make much difference. The following words from Mother Teresa encourage us:
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and selfcentered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be good enough. Give the world the best you have anyway. You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God. It was never between you and "them" anyway.
Peace advocates are urgently needed in our
time. I want to thank you for all you are doing across the Great Plains Conference to further peace with justice.
God calls us to be bold, to be courageous, to
step out of our comfort zone. We have the
awesome assignment of working for the Prince
of Peace.
Peace – shalom – salaam, Andrea
Shalom Sparks (takes about 5 - 15 minutes to complete)
 Make a conscious effort to greet people on
the street, in the grocery store etc.,
especially people with whom you generally
do not have much contact. See Christ in each
human being you meet. Be aware of what is
going on around you and speak up when
someone is treated in a hurtful way.
 Ask your pastor to regularly include a prayer focus on persons that are oppressed in our communities, in our state, our country and around the world.
 Look for one positive story/happening each
day and share with others.
Peace Possibilities (takes about 30 to 60 minutes to complete)
 Participate in Giving Tuesday through the
ADVANCE. Learn about organizations/ministries working on peace with justice issues. http://www.umcmission.org/givingtuesday/resources
One example is the Mar Elias Peace Study
Center, Advance #3020532. At this center,
students from different faith backgrounds are
brought together to learn about peace and
reconciliation. It was founded by Archbishop Elias Chacour whom many of you met last year when he spoke at our Annual Conference and visited Wichita and Lincoln. Here you can see and listen to his message in June 2016 at our Annual Conference in Topeka: https://vimeo.com/169727341
 Make an effort to care for your spiritual
grounding during these challenging times.
Read a good book, learn from peace builders
who came before us, join with others who
feel passionate about an area of injustice,
pray and know that God is with us always.
 Inform yourself about the situation at
Standing Rock. The mainstream media has mostly reported in an inaccurate and one-sided way. Several United Methodists from the Great Plains Conference have personally joined the peaceful water protectors. Staff from the General Board of Church and Society and from the General Commission on Religion
and Race were there. And right now, Harriett
Olson, General Secretary of United Methodist Women joined them.
Contact the White House by phone or sign a
petition and ask for protection of our
indigenous sisters and brothers and their
access to clean water.
http://act.350.org/sign/dont_leave_dapl_to_trump/
 Promote the 2017 Micah Corps internship.
The first round of interviews will happen the
end of January. Talk to young people you
know. Information can be found at
http://www.greatplainsumc.org/micahcorps.
Vision Ventures (takes a bit more energy and time!)
 Sign up for one of the Ecumenical Legislative Days in Kansas or Nebraska and invite others to join you.
February 11, 2017 Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day at Christ United Methodist Church, Lincoln, NE (www.nelegisbrief.org) 
February 12-13, 2017 Kansas L.E.A.F.,
Topeka, KS
 Get a group of people together to watch the
refugee webinars on our Great Plains
website. Then brainstorm how your church
can get involved in supporting and
welcoming refugees. The latest webinar can
be found at: https://vimeo.com/191683253
Shafiq Jahish from Afghanistan and Dekow
Sagar from Somalia share about their
experiences.
To learn more about Ministry With Refugees
in the Great Plains Conference, go to:
http://www.greatplainsumc.org/ministrytorefugees
Additional Possibilities
 Several United Methodists across our conference are discerning how their communities can get involved in the Sanctuary Movement. In the 1980s, churches and faith communities were involved in this movement granting safety to Central American refugees fleeing civil wars. In the last few years, a growing number of faith communities have taken this up again to stand in solidarity with immigrants facing deportation. Congress has failed to move ahead with immigration reform. Our current immigration laws are deeply flawed and unjust with a thousand families being torn apart daily through deportations.
If you are interested to learn more, please
contact me.
 If you are passionate about God’s Creation
and how we care for it, consider joining our
Great Plains Creation Care Team. Meetings
are usually by phone conference.
http://www.greatplainsumc.org/creationcare
 Peace with Justice Ministries is making
scholarships available to attend Ecumenical
Advocacy Days April 21 – 24, 2017 in
Washington D.C.: Confronting Chaos, Forging Community with a focus on the challenges of, and solutions to, racism, materialism and militarism.
http://advocacydays.org/2017-confrontingchaos/
If you are on Facebook, please “like” the Peace with Justice – Great Plains Conference facebook page.
**More information can be found at:
http://www.greatplainsumc.org/peacewithjustice
For questions contact Andrea Paret, Great Plains Peace with Justice Coordinator, at amparet08@yahoo.com
The Mustard Seed newsletter is an electronic publication of Peace with Justice Ministries, Great Plains Conference of the United
Methodist Church. To subscribe or unsubscribe, contact Andrea Paret, amparet08@yahoo.com
For more information, please contact Andrea Paret at amparet08@yahoo.com.
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Don’t miss out on volunteer, mission trip opportunities

Does your church want to take part in a mission trip? Perhaps you are part of a small congregation and you or others in your church are interested in joining another group’s efforts to help others?
Check out new opportunities for volunteering within the borders of the Great Plains Conference and beyond.
Check out the opportunities. And don’t hesitate to share if you have upcoming mission trips planned.
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GP Task Force leaders
attend peace summit

Great Plains Holy Land Task Force members Andrea Paret and Carol Ekdahl-Garwood joined with others from across the nation for a weekend session of United Methodists for Kairos Response. The group met at First United Methodist Church in Des Moines, Iowa, in October in order to strategize and plan on how to move forward after this year’s General Conference. The group works to mobilize United Methodists to take action for a just peace in Israel-Palestine.
Our opening devotion by the Rev. John Wagner focused on Jeremiah 20: 7-9, where God calls us to speak God’s word and speak out even when others laugh and belittle us. During our time together we shared where we had experienced God’s spirit with us in our work during the last years and what we had accomplished. Then we focused on where God might be leading us next. The Rev. Alex Awad brought with him words from two Palestinians he had asked 10 questions about the current situation. It is difficult for everybody involved to stay hopeful that the situation will get better. We were reminded that we can be hopeful and yet not optimistic. Our hope comes from Christ Jesus who can bring hope to situations where we do not see any hope anymore.
Paret will continue to serve on the U.S. Policy and the Communications committees during the coming year and Ekdahl-Garwood will serve as co-chair of the Alliances committee. The Great Plains Holy Land Task Force will continue to provide information and opportunities to attend events during the upcoming year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a member of the Task Force (current members: Ekdahl-Garwood, Paret, the Rev. Lyle Schoen, Matthew Wilke, Joey Hentzler).
Pictured: Andrea Paret (Great Plains Peace With Justice Coordinator), Rev. Alex Awad (GBGM United Methodist Missionary), and Carol Ekdahl-Garwood (Great Plains Conference Secretary of Global Ministries)
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Administration
Update on Fair
Labor Standards Act

Many of you have been working to understand what implications, if any, the proposed Dec. 1, 2016, Fair Labor Standards Act changes would have on your church or organization. On Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016, a Texas federal judge issued an injunction blocking the implementation of the proposed changes. For the time being, that means all the existing parameters of the FLSA remain in effect. As a recap, these are the highlights:
Determine an employee’s exempt or not-exempt status by examining the duties in their position description. If they make at least $23,600 AND meet the “executive,” “administrative” or “professional” exemption guidelines, overtime need not be paid for hours worked over 40.
Clergy remain exempt under the ministerial exemption.
Secretaries, administrative assistants, employed janitorial staff and similar positions are almost certainly non-exempt and owed overtime for hours worked over 40 in a week. A timesheet must be kept for these positions.
We cannot know when or how the case will be resolved, but it seems certain it will be appealed. Accordingly, any work you’ve already undertaken to ensure compliance with both the existing and proposed FLSA rules is time well spent. In fact, you may still elect to implement any changes planned in response to the new compensation threshold for non-exempt status. If you have previously committed to and communicated changes to an employee, carefully think through whether it makes sense to reverse your plans. (If you discovered you weren’t complying with FLSA in the first place, you don’t want to revert to non-compliance now.)
We will continue to monitor progress and assist with interpreting current FLSA provisions. Questions can be emailed to Gary Beach (gbeach@greatplainsumc.org) or Niki Buesing (nbuesing@greatplainsumc.org) or by calling the Topeka office at 1-877-972-9111.
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Kansas UM Foundation exceeds Certification of Participation goal

The Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation (KAUMF) Board of Trustees sends their appreciation to the many United Methodist individuals and churches who took advantage of a very special one year rate of 1.90 percent through the Certificate of Participation program. KAUMF exceeded the goal of $500,000 because so many believe investing with the Foundation allows them to “Do Well While Doing Good” for United Methodist churches. The final amount of Certificates of Participation that took advantage of the special rate is $655,857.
The Foundation uses the accumulated assets to fund competitive interest loans to churches for new construction, expansion, energy efficient upgrades or maintenance. By investing with the Foundation, you can do well financially while supporting the growth of the church. The funds deposited in the Certificate of Participation program earn a higher rate of interest than most commercial savings, money market or certificate of deposit accounts.
For the current interest rates, loan application and manual or more information about your Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation, visit the website at www.kaumf.org.
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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.
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Across the Connection
Water’s Edge pastor
publishes prayer book

Craig Finnestad, the founding pastor of The Water's Edge United Methodist Church in Omaha, is the author of a new book, “Prayers from The Water's Edge.”
The 100 prayers take the reader from morning to night, from New Year’s Day to Christmas, from the birth of a baby to the death of a loved one, from beginning a relationship with God to growing into Christ’s likeness. Many of the prayers can be prayed privately. Other prayers are meant to be prayed in community or in public worship. This book is intended to help people grow in their prayer life and their relationship with God.
All proceeds from the book are going to The Water's Edge building fund. The books can be ordered at weomaha.com and amazon.com. Craig will sign any copies ordered from weomaha.com.
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In other news
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Newsletters
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Blogs

In Layman’s Terms: Jesus is one gift that won’t disappoint – Ever receive a gift that you flat-out didn’t like? Todd Seifert, conference communications director, shares an analogy between a childhood experience with the story of John the Baptist.

Stand with Standing Rock to preserve water quality: – Louise Niemann of David City, Nebraska, tells about her visit to the Standing Rock area and how the time there compelled her to speak out for environmental justice.
Krusing the Capitol by former Senator, Rev. Lowen Kruse – Are Women on the Move?
Commentary – Adrian College chaplain urges us to take our theology seriously
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Classifieds
Submit a classified and view other ads at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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Want More?
Episcopal Office: 9440 E Boston Suite 160 Wichita, KS 67207 316-686-0600
Topeka Office: 4201 SW 15th Street PO Box 4187 Topeka, KS 66604 785-272-9111
Wichita Office: 9440 E Boston Suite 110 Wichita, KS 67207 316-684-0266
Lincoln Office: 3333 Landmark Circle Lincoln, NE 68504-4760 402-464-5994
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