Wednesday, February 1, 2017

GPconnect for Wednesday, 1 February 2017 from The Great Plains Conference in Wichita, Kansas, United States

GPconnect for Wednesday, 1 February 2017 from The Great Plains Conference in Wichita, Kansas, United States

Download the printable version of the Feb. 1 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
MERCY & JUSTICE
ADMINISTRATION
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
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Bishop announces
structural change to
emphasize focus on mission field
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. has announced a change in district superintendent appointments, with goals of fostering more peer-to-peer collaboration among clergy, empowering the laity to more fully participate in the sharing of the Wesleyan witness, and focusing ministry squarely on the mission field for each congregation.
The changes will be implemented first in the Great West and Hays districts, where superintendents have announced retirements effective June 30. But the goal is to empower laity and enhance peer-to-peer sharing off best practices among clergy across the Great Plains Conference.
Bishop announces structural changes to allow for stronger emphasis on mission field
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. has announced a change in district superintendent appointments, with goals of fostering more peer-to-peer collaboration among clergy, empowering the laity to more fully participate in the sharing of the Wesleyan witness, and focusing ministry squarely on the mission field for each congregation.
The moves are meant to help the more than 1,000 Great Plains Conference churches innovate to focus on the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by leveraging the connectional strengths of the United Methodist Church within our geographic boundaries. The opportunity for a shift in the structure of superintendents arose in part as the result of the retirement announcements for the Rev. Kay Alnor and the Rev. Jim Akins, superintendents in the Great West and Hays districts, respectively.
Bishop Saenz has appointed the Rev. Cindy Karges, Gateway District superintendent, and the Rev. Eldon Davis, Elkhorn Valley District superintendent, to provide leadership to the Great West District. The Rev. Don Hasty, Dodge City District superintendent; the Rev. Dee Williamston, Salina District superintendent; and the Rev. Dennis Livingston, Hutchinson District superintendent, will provide leadership to the Hays District. The five district superintendents will oversee disciplinary processes and other responsibilities.
Alnor will retire June 30 after seven years of innovative and strategic development of a mutual-ministry model as a district superintendent. The model addresses the opportunities and challenges of the large western Nebraska region. Under her leadership elders, local pastors, deacons, certified lay ministers and lay leaders organize themselves into regional networks to encourage each other, share best practices and coordinate missional strategies. Numerous lay persons indigenous to the region have been trained as Certified Lay Ministers. These CLMs provide effective pastoral leadership for smaller, rural congregations and help ensure that the Wesleyan witness of making disciples that proclaim Christ, serve others and seek justice continues in vital and sustainable ways in western Nebraska.
The structural changes will build on the efforts in the Great West District.
“The lay and clergy makeup of the United Methodist Church have been given many gifts,” said Bob Cox, lay member of the Hays District Superintendency Committee. “Each of us has unique qualities which can be used to make a difference. The change in administrative structure of the districts leads to an opportunity to examine, re-examine and use those talents. The changes ahead offer an opportunity to help what we do well now be even better. We are called to participate. We are called to activity in our churches, in our communities and with our sister churches and communities.”
Expected Benefits
Livingston, the Hutchinson DS, said the mission-based, peer-to-peer model should deepen and multiply points of connection among clergy and congregations. He said the shift has the ability to transform the culture of the Great Plains so United Methodists in the region view the conference territory more as a cascade of connected mission fields and not siloed congregations spread across two states.
“Clergy will be connected in new ways that spread ministry and responsibility outward to other clergy and laity,” Livingston said. “Also exciting is that there is actually a plan taking shape, and the appointive cabinet has jumped fully on board. While we haven’t worked out the details – and there are many of those – we are seeing our way through the fog enough that we are ready to push forward.”
Davis, the Elkhorn Valley DS, said this shift to a mission-field-focused model hearkens to the churches recorded in Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-35.
“They met in people’s homes. They shared resources. They took care of widows and orphans,” Davis said. “This really is what the church is all about.”
Davis said the peer-to-peer component of sharing best practices and providing encouragement will allow the conference to tap into the experts the church already has.
“When I worked in the mental health field, when things would happen locally, the thinking was we needed an expert to come in. And you had to be from at least 120 miles away to be an ‘expert.’ But we often already had the expert there,” he said. “In this case we already have the expertise in our communities. And we already have the Holy Spirit working with us.”
Karges said one of the most exciting aspects of the mission-field model is the opportunity for churches to provide greater focus on the context of their ministries within their particular area while still recognizing the individuality of pastors.
“This combination provides an opportunity to better support churches and their pastors for fruitful ministry,” Karges said. “We know that as great as a particular program or approach is there is no ‘one size fits all.’”
Karges said using district superintendents and pastors strategically will provide churches with better resources to engage their mission fields in ways that best suit their particular situations.
“Tailoring structure and resources – material and human – allows us to not only maintain but strengthen our Wesleyan witness in communities of all sizes,” she said.
Learning TogetherWhat this new model looks like in each community will depend on the needs of the mission field. Timing and strategy of when to roll out similar models to other districts will depend on a number of factors. Regardless, Bishop Saenz said pastors and laity will work together to enhance current ministries or launch new ones – each dependent on the context of the needs of their constituents and each focused on making disciples of Jesus Christ.
“We will do so by organizing ourselves for missional movement rather than institutional maintenance,” Bishop Saenz said. “We will foster and support peer-to-peer learning platforms, and church-to-church learning platforms will help us harness and accelerate the expansion of our Wesleyan witness throughout the Great Plains.”
Such a movement cannot be initiated by clergy alone, said Akins, the current Hays DS who has led conversations with clergy and lay leadership in the Hays District to reimagine ways to be a United Methodist witness and start a movement led by the ministry of baptized laity empowered by clergy.
“The true ministry of the church is not and should not be clergy-centered,” Akins said. “As we move to a mission-field focus in our appointments, laity will be led by clergy to step up in preaching, teaching, pastoral care, mission work and evangelism.”
Hasty agreed, citing the biblical principle of equipping the saints – or lay people – for ministry.
“This shift to a mission-field model excites me because it gives us the opportunity to help the church and lay people engage their mission fields more so than we have in the past,” Hasty said. “I think this will bring us into alignment with the purpose and vision of the conference, and we’ll be very intentional about making disciples.”
Williamston, Salina DS, said the shift will help the Great Plains Conference innovate by sharing ideas and by using the gifts and graces of United Methodists to foster a movement.
“I’m excited because I see this as an adventure, and we’re all on the journey together,” she said. “It may not be perfect at first, but God will lead us and equip us as we go.
“We will be at the ground floor with this model,” Williamston continued. “We will experiment with new things as we work together. In many ways, this is taking us back to our Methodist roots.”
Gains for Current DistrictsAll five superintendents who will help provide leadership in the Great West and Hays districts said they believed their added supervisory responsibilities will benefit their current districts as well.
“This will help us be more intentional about listening to one another,” Hasty said. “Working on a team of three in the Hays District will give me an opportunity to learn and reflect on what I do in the Dodge City District. That will make my ministry deeper and richer there through collaboration and the sharing of ideas.”
Those ideas then will be shared with other congregations in the conference so pastors and laity can discern how best to fulfill needs in their communities by understanding how similar issues have been addressed elsewhere.
“One of the most enjoyable and hopeful aspects of my time in the Gateway District has been to see and hear about the great ways United Methodists are serving,” Karges said. “Our churches are vital to our communities. I look forward to hearing and seeing how United Methodists in the Great West District are living out God’s call and claim upon their lives in their communities.
“We all have something to share,” Karges continued. “I believe as we move forward we will find ourselves inspired by the stories we share and hopeful about our future as God’s people called United Methodists in the Great Plains Conference.”
The Rev. Mike Rose, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Hays, Kansas, and chair of the Hays District Superintendency Committee, quoted Isaiah 43:18-19a: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing!”
“God is doing a new thing in the Hays District,” Rose said, “and my prayer is that we will see all the Hays District United Methodist Churches thrive.”
Strength in ConnectionBishop Saenz said the connectional structure of the United Methodist Church provides this opportunity to start a renewed ministry movement.
“The United Methodist Church has a good name, or brand, in our communities because of our ministries of healing, education, civic engagement, compassion, mercy and justice,” Bishop Saenz said. “We also have a horizontal and vertical connectional system that allows us to harness and concentrate our strengths and resources for greater collective impact for the transformation of lives, communities and the world. Above all that, we have gifted and talented laity with a wealth of knowledge, life experience, successful vocational careers and a love for Christ that compels them to serve God and their neighbors with joy.”
Bishop Saenz said even with the denomination’s strengths, this kind of missional movement in the Great Plains would not be possible without the gifts, graces and baptismal calling of laity.
“I have faith in the leadership capacity of our clergy to lead our congregations into the mission field to create pathways for people to encounter Christ and grow in the love of God, to proclaim Christ’s redemptive grace, to serve others – especially the poor – and to seek justice,” Bishop Saenz said. “I believe our Wesleyan theology and heritage – along with the power of the Holy Spirit – provide us with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people across the Great Plains Conference. Adelante! (Forward!)”
Todd Seifert is communications director for the Great Plains Conference. Contact him at tseifert@greatplainsumc.org. Follow him on Twitter, @ToddSeifert. - See more at: http://www.greatplainsumc.org/newsdetail/bishop-announces-structural-changes-to-allow-for-stronger-emphasis-on-mission-field-7399023#sthash.dl14ljFX.dpuf
Read about this shift to a mission-field-based model.
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Bishop to lead training
on local-church vitality
The Wichita East and West districts’ Laity Connection Team invites the Great Plains Conference to take part in a one-day workshop featuring Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. speaking on church vitality.
The workshop, titled “Leading Vital Congregations,” is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, from First United Methodist Church in Wichita. The event will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person free of charge at http://sundaystreams.com/go/firstwichita. Or, go to http://www.firstwichita.org and click on “Live Stream Sundays at 11 a.m. CST” to connect to the video player.
Vital congregations are led by clergy and laity who are clear about their mission and focused on achieving a vision that seeks the good of the communities where they are planted. Vital congregations are healthy, growing, committed to forming disciples through God’s means of grace and open to transformational changes that will lead them from one level of fruitfulness and effectiveness to another.
This workshop will help you diagnose your church’s current reality and provide you with the frameworks, tools and processes needed to implement for transformational change that will focus and direct your congregations toward transforming lives and communities.
Also, the Laity Connection Team is planning a workshop titled “Attracting and Retaining Younger People” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 29, at Asbury United Methodist Church’s west campus in Wichita. The workshop will begin with a sample worship service and then a panel discussion with factors that go into attracting and retaining younger people. More details on this workshop will come in coming weeks.
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Clergy among those
taking part in rallies
Clergy in the Great Plains, including the Rev. Chris Jorgensen, left, and the Rev. Debra McKnight from Urban Abbey Omaha, were among those sharing their voices in weekend rallies against immigration changes coming from the White House.
This story shares why they make their views known.
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Clergy Excellence
Mutual Aid Association provides
gift of sympathy at time of loss 
The Mutual Aid Association of the Great Plains Conference provides a sympathy-expressing gift whenever a death occurs of one of its members, which are pastors and spouses who have signed up to be part of this organization.
Each member agrees to donate $5 every time one of the members dies.
At the moment, the sympathy-expressing gift is $1,650. That money is sent with a list of members to a relative when a member dies. This gift serves as a way to show that others care during a time of loss.
Mrs. Mark Conard wrote after her husband, shown here, passed away recently, “Thank you for the sympathy-expressing gift for the A. Mark Conard family. When we joined in June I had no idea we would be a recipient so soon. Your card and concern for clergy and their family is appreciated. May God bless you in this ministry. Sincerely, Joyce Conard.”
If you would like more information about the Mutual Aid Association, contact the Rev. Robert Neben at nebenmary@hotmail.com or by calling 402-499-3636.
Download a flier and registration form.
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Equipping Disciples
Confirmation rallies,
student leadership sessions set
The Bishop’s Confirmation Rallies and Deep Student Leadership Training have been scheduled for February and March.
The events will coincide, according to local church youth coordinator Shane Hinderliter, from noon to 5 p.m. each day.
The locations will be:
Feb. 11, Lincoln
Feb. 18, North Platte
March 4, McPherson, Kansas
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. will speak at the confirmation rally, as will Erynn Dahlke, a Kearney native and freshman at Emporia State University.
The Rev. Trever Rook, pastor of Prairie View United Methodist Church in Lincoln, will be the speaker for the student leadership training, with worship led by Zachariah Kirkham from Fort Myers, Florida.
Admission is $10, and the deadline is one week prior to each event. Registration is online at greatplainsyouth.org.
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Registration now
open for rally in Beloit
Men, women, boys and girls from throughout the conference are encouraged to attend the Salina District Men & Boys Rally. The rally has been held in Beloit, Kansas, for over 60 years, with this being the 68th year. Supper will begin Monday, March 6,, at 5 p.m. followed by praise and worship at 6:15-7 p.m., then the program with a featured guest speaker from 7-8 p.m., and then ending with our praise and worship band finishing up the event from 8-8:30 p.m.
Register now.
Featured speaker this year will be the KC Wolf, Dan Meers, author of the book "Wolves Can't Fly," who will share his incredible story and journey of faith. Not only is the speaker featured at the event that evening, but speakers travel during the day to local schools (four to five schools) and touch the lives of over 1,400 students and school staff.
Download the flier.
If you have any questions, please email Beloit United Methodist Church at beloitumc@gmail.com, or call BUMC at 785-738-2539 (you can leave voicemail if no one is available and we will return your call).
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UM Mens dinner,
auction set for June 7
The 28th annual Scholarship Dinner and Auction presented by the United Methodist Mens’ 100 Club will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 511 N. Elm St., Grand Island.
Seventy percent of auction proceeds go to scholarships for young people entering fulltime Christian service.
To purchase a meal ticket or donate an auction item, contact Randy Fleming at 402-210-4885 or email auctioneer_32@msn.com. A list and photos of items for sale are online at gpsold.com.
The dinner, catered by Chances R Restaurant, will be $35 per person with parts of dinner costs going to youth conference meals and a scholarship fund.
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Omaha’s Big Garden
renovating campus
Thanks to the support of the Great Plains Conference, United Methodist Women, private foundations, and many individuals, The Big Garden is currently renovating its campus in Northeast Omaha.
This includes erecting new greenhouses, creating an outdoor classroom and demonstration gardens, and retro-fitting a previous florist shop into a public education center. The plans are ambitious, and will take several years to complete, but Phase 1 is well underway; phase 2 will begin soon.
In addition to increasing capacity, these renovations will further The Big Garden's mission of cultivating food security by developing community gardens, creating opportunities to serve, and providing education on issues related to hunger.
Click here to view a visual scrapbook of the renovations.
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Wholly Loved Women's
Conference is Feb. 11
The Wholly Loved Women’s Conference will be from 9 a.m. to noonSaturday, Feb. 11, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 324 S. Jackson St., Papillion, Nebraska.
A continental breakfast will be served when doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Admission is free, and registration is available at Eventbrite.com, with a search for “Wholly Loved.”
The worship leader is Shelly Conn, Omaha. Speakers are Jennifer Slattery, author and founder of Wholly Loved Ministries; and Chaka Heinze, a speaker and author.
“We all have an inner lie — something we believe about ourselves that is utterly false, but impacts everything else: how we view ourselves, how we perceive others, and how we react to different situations,” promotional material for the conference says. “In our social media-driven world, we see the filtered highlights of everyone else’s life, and it’s easy to think we’ve fallen short of what a woman should be. To believe we don’t fit. That somehow we’re not doing all that we should or could be. That we’re not enough.
“However, our value should not based on cultural standards or popular opinions. Our value is based on God’s Word, and in it. He tells us we’re cherished, pursued, and deeply loved. We’re gloriously unique and have a purpose. When we realize that, everything changes and we are freed to be who God created us to be.”
Women of all ages are invited. For more information, call Holly Pitman at 402-339-3308 or email hpitman@stpaulspapillion.org.
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‘Wesleyan Live’ to feature
lectures on the Lord’s Prayer
Registration is now open for the spring edition of “Wesleyan Live.” This five-week course provided by Nebraska Wesleyan University may be a good fit as a Lenten study for individuals or for small groups within churches.
The title for the course is “How the Lord’s Prayer Lost its Radical Edge” and will be taught by the Rev. Dr. Robert Jewett, a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan who also was educated at the Univesrty of Chicago and the University of Tubingen. Dr. Jewett has taught at Morningside College and Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, and he serves as theologian-in-residence at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Lincoln.
The course will begin at 7 p.m. Mondays from Feb. 27 to March 27, with each session anticipated to last approximately one hour. Participants in the Lincoln area may attend in person at the conference office at 3333 Landmark Circle in Lincoln. But all participants can take part via livestream on the conference’s website.
Cost is $40 per person or $20 for retirees and students. Local church groups may take part for a maximum cost of $75.
Learn more about the course and register.
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Young Adult interns can
lead VBS in your community
If you are part of a congregation with 75 and fewer in worship, you can apply to have a team of interns come lead Vacation Bible School in your community this summer.
It is a great way to bring more energy and fun to your VBS and to give young adults some leadership opportunities.
For more info and the application, go to: http://www.greatplainsumc.org/VBS, or contact Rev. Micki McCorkle for more information: mmccorkle@greatplainsumc.org or 316-210-3996 (text or call).
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Embrace founding
pastor releasing book
 
Adam Weber, lead pastor of Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is set to release his first book. “Talking with God: What to say when you don’t know how to pray” will be available March 21 at Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and all other major retailers. Excerpts of the book are online at adamweber.com. The book is published by Waterbrook Multnomah (Penguin Random House).
Weber started Embrace at age 24, and it has become the fastest-growing United Methodist Church in the country.
“Talking with God” includes Weber writing about his time at Asbury Seminary and a United Methodist Church in North Dakota, and how it shaped him as a leader, pastor and author. He also writes about God using leaders despite their feeling of inadequacy; and staying connected with God as leaders and pastors.
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Mercy & Justice
Council of Bishops president makes statement on Trump immigration order
Bishop Bruce Ough, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, issued a statement at a press conference sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Churches to call upon people of the church to “see the face of Christ in the refugee.”
He went on to call on the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress to rescind the executive orders that put a temporary ban on immigration for people from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
Council of Bishops president issues statement on Trump immigration order
Bishop Bruce Ough
Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, issued a statement Monday, Jan. 30, regarding President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration at a press conference sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Churches. The event, held at Hennepin United Methodist Church, gathered faith leaders to discuss the topic of immigration.
Bishop Ough participated in the event in his role as resident bishop of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area of The United Methodist Church.
The statement maintains The United Methodist Church’s unity in standing with other faith traditions to denounce the order, as well as calling all to remember Jesus’ words from Matthew 10:40: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”
“I call upon the people of The United Methodist Church to see the face of Christ in the refugee,” Bishop Ough said. “Say ‘no’ to the walling off of our country and our hearts and say ‘yes’ to their hope – our hope – for new life. Let us unite and work together to bring the soul of this country to a living birth!”
The full text of Bishop Ough’s statement follows:
Today, I stand with colleagues representing several faith traditions to strongly denounce President Trump’s widespread attack on immigrants and refugees. President Trump’s reckless, ill-conceived executive orders will divide families, impose a religious test for Muslims facing forced migration, penalize communities providing sanctuary and wall off the United States from our neighbors. These actions are expensive, unnecessary and profoundly antithetical to our values of compassion, dignity and justice for all individuals regardless of nationality, religious affiliation or legal status.
The biblical witness is clear and unambiguous.
Walls are unbiblical. Hospitality is biblical.
Denying one’s neighbor is unbiblical. Welcoming the stranger is biblical.
It is not surprising that Judaism, Christianity and Islam teach the reign of God as a banquet to which all peoples are invited. We are to welcome the sojourner, love our neighbor and stand with the most vulnerable among us. These very values from our sacred texts and faith traditions are currently reflected in the mandate of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and must not be usurped by any executive order. Orders, legislation or administrative actions that would have the U.S. State Department disqualify refugees from protection and resettlement based on their nationality or religion are a denial of the very principles this nation was built upon, contradict the legacy of leadership our country has offered the world, and dishonor our shared humanity.
Jesus was explicit in his teachings. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40).
Refugees and immigrants arrive among us, not only with their needs, but also bearing gifts of energy, resourcefulness, love of liberty and hope. These gifts have always contributed to the renewal of our society and the church.
Above all, these strangers bring to us the Christ. When we welcome a stranger we welcome Jesus, and when we welcome Jesus we welcome our creator. Refugees, immigrants, those yearning to be free—these are the ones whom Jesus spoke about when he said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).
Repeatedly Jesus tells his disciples:
“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
The original Greek language is far more poetic, powerful and prophetic. In finer translations of the Greek language, we hear Jesus saying:
“Whoever seeks to build a wall around their soul shall destroy it; whoever tears down the wall (around their soul) shall bring their soul to a living birth.”
The very soul of our country is at stake. When we abandon strangers who are at risk of bigotry, xenophobia and violence we not only destroy their hope, we destroy our own souls. When we fail to assist the refugees fleeing danger, we not only place them in harm’s way, we do harm to our own souls. When we build walls of concrete, or walls of divisive rhetoric, or walls of fear, or walls of immoral immigration policies, we build a wall around our own souls.
Christ calls us to tear down the walls around our souls that we might live fully and abundantly.
Thus, I call on the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress to rescind the harmful executive orders and save the soul of our country. I call upon the people of The United Methodist Church to see the face of Christ in the refugee. Say “no” to the walling off of our country and our hearts and say “yes” to their hope – our hope – for new life. Let us unite and work together to bring the soul of this country to a living birth!
More News on This Subject
Read Bishop Ough’s full statement.Maria Penrod, a former Micah Corps intern, reflects on the current situation regarding refugees and gives instructions on how to take action in this essay.
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Former Micah Corps
intern reflects on refugees
Reflections on refugees by Maria Penrod
I struggle to find the balance of how political/controversial to be on Facebook. On Twitter, I am very political. But this executive order targeting Muslim refugees is sickening, and contradictory to the very fiber of who we are as Americans and as Christians. I cannot be quiet about it. Buckle your seat belts, this is going to be long. 
I advocated for immigrants, including refugees and the undocumented, last summer as a Micah Corps intern in the Great Plains Conference. Next week I will go to Washington, D.C. to advocate for immigrants on behalf of the The United Methodist Church. 
I am by no means an expert, but here are some things I have learned (Sources are at the end): 
By definition, refugees are fleeing war, famine and/or persecution. Their lives are in immediate danger and they have no home to return to. 
There are more than 65 million displaced people worldwide right now, more than any other time in history. 
Fifty-one percent of them are children.
Refugees already undergo years of vetting and background checks by multiple agencies before they come to the United States.
The U.S. Government does not provide refugees with money when they arrive. However, there are minimal benefits available for emergency situations and the medically needy. The refugee must apply for these benefits and meet income and resource standards to qualify for any assistance.
Refugees are more likely to be civically engaged, start their own businesses, and less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans. 
After 10-20 years in the United States, refugees are making as much money as native-born Americans in their age bracket.
Every immigrant adds 1.2 jobs to a community. 
You are more likely to be killed by a cow, a swing or a bed than a refugee.
In the United States, we value freedom of religion. It’s in the Bill of Rights. We should all be allowed to practice our faith in peace. 
As President George W. Bush said after 9/11, “Islam is peace.” Islam is not the enemy. Terrorists are the enemy. ISIS and other terrorist groups are no more Islamic than the KKK and Westboro Baptist Church are Christian. 
Most of the victims of ISIS and similar groups are Muslims. 
Jesus himself was a refugee. His family fled to Egypt when King Herod tried to kill him (Matthew 2). Twenty-three chapters later, Jesus tells us that whatever we have done for others, we have also done to Him (Matthew 25:25-46). 
Here are more verses in the Bible that tell us how to treat refugees: Leviticus 19:33-34, Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Ezekiel 16:49, Malachi 3:5, 1 Kings 8:41-44, Job 31:32, Galatians 5:14, and Luke 10:29-37. 
I understand that many Americans fear what they do not know. How many times does the Bible tell us not to fear? The King James version includes 29 instances of the phrase "be not afraid." The New American Standard Bible includes the phrases "do not fear" 57 times and "do not be afraid" 46 times. Some argue that "fear not" and similar phrases are present in the Bible 365 times. 
Unless you are 100 percent Native American, your ancestors came from somewhere else, either by choice or by force. Maybe they were escaping religious persecution on the Mayflower, civil war in Cambodia, famine in Ireland, or economic hardship in Guatemala. Maybe they were ripped from their homeland and tortured for centuries as slaves. Maybe they were chasing a dream job or simply wanted to live free. 
What do you want? A job? A house? The ability to live peacefully and comfortably with your loved ones? A good future for your children? That’s all refugees want. They want the privileges, freedoms and opportunities we get just by virtue of being born in the United States. \
Stop hating. Stop being afraid. Stop discriminating against your fellow humans. Show some empathy. It’s time to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It’s time to be the Good Samaritan. See Jesus in these people. It’s time to speak up and help these suffering children of God. It is integral to our values as Americans and as Christians to help refugees. 
So what can you do? Support organizations that help the most vulnerable among us like UNICEF, ACLU Nationwide, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, National Justice for Our Neighbors, International Rescue Committee, and the International Refugee Assistance Project. Keep track of what your Congress members are doing. Call and tell them what you think.
Organize, protest, vote, and pray. Be kind to your fellow humans and to yourself.
Kansas Congress members: 
Pat Roberts: 202-224-4774
Jerry Moran: 202-224-6521
Mike Pompeo: 202-225-6216
Dr. Roger Marshall: 202-225-2715
Lynn Jenkins: 202-225-6601
Kevin Yoder: 202-225-2865
(To look up the Nebraska Congress members go to senate.gov and house.gov.)
Sources:
http://www.unhcr.org/…/global-forced-displacement-hits-reco…
https://www.state.gov/j/…/releas…/factsheets/2017/266447.htm
http://www.in.gov/isdh/24670.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/…/illegal-immigrants-and-crime-how-…/
https://www.theatlantic.com/…/actually-immigration-…/391997/
http://www.pewresearch.org/…/americans-less-concerned-than…/
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/…/ten-facts-about-us-refugee…
https://www.buzzfeed.com/…/13-things-more-likely-to-kill-yo…
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Refugee kids keep warm
when churches work together
One morning a person answered a call to find a way to give away 200 coats this winter.
The next week, a concern was lifted up that over 100 children from the African Nation and Bhutanese congregations that worship weekly at St. Paul Omaha would soon be experiencing their first winter In Nebraska!
When approached, a manager with a heart for mission at a Younkers department store blessed us with a great discount for as many coats as are needed. They shared the concern of keeping the children warm.
After becoming aware of the needs, congregations including Elm Creek, Fremont Calvary, Hooper, Overton, and Wahoo, Nebraska, joined the people of St. Paul Omaha to donate money towards purchasing 155 coats for the children who had been refugees in Nepal and several African nations for many years.
Over 300 brand new coats have now been donated! In addition to the African and Bhutanese refugees, Youth Emergency Services, Lutheran Family Services, and young people across the state have benefited.
As each child is zipped up in their beautiful new coat, may they feel wrapped in the warmth of God’s love and be safe from the cold of winter.
May they know the caring of each who donated and cares about their families after years of living with limited access in having basic needs met![Martha Wheeler, St. Paul UMC, Omaha]
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Ecumenical Legislative
Briefing Day planned for Feb. 11
The United Methodist Women of the Great Plains Conference, the Nebraska Conference Foundation, the Helen Traudt Estate, Church Women United, Nebraska, Inc., and Church Women United of Lincoln will sponsor the 42nd annual Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day.
The event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Christ United Methodist Church, 4530 A St. in Lincoln.
For Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day Committee has operated under the presumption that living out of God's grace means, at least in part, fighting for justice for those oppressed or in need whose voices go unheard or ignored. The organization believes that ordinary citizens can take action on behalf of the disadvantaged by advocating for just laws. The purpose of the day is help voters of Nebraska better understand upcoming legislation in the Unicameral and the effects of that legislation in order that they may advocate for justice through the passage of laws that protect the rights and address the needs of the less fortunate.
Besides speakers such as Nebraska State Sen. Kate Bolz, the event features workshops on issues such as advocacy; agriculture, energy and water; human trafficking; immigration and refugees; juvenile justice; LGBTQ issues; mental health services; and problems associated with the White Clay community.
Registration is now open. The fee is $25 per person, with students with valid identification admitted for $20. Scholarships are available for students who need assistance. Call Ruby Thelander at 402-488-4815 or send an email to rubythelander@gmail.com.
Free child care is offered for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age.
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Guidelines available in
‘reclaiming common good’With a new president in place, conversations among United Methodists have arisen regarding “reclaiming the common good.”
The General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church has prepared guidelines for conversations regarding the future on relations in the country, available here.
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Wichita couple finds
hope at Africa University
When Art and Linda Youngman first visited the Africa University campus in 1995, the university was in its third year of operations. The renovated old farm buildings that once served as residence halls, administrative buildings and classrooms had been replaced with a few permanent structures, and the acacia trees that had been planted across the campus were mere saplings. Art and Linda, both life-long United Methodists, heard of the establishment of this new university while members of University United Methodist Church in Wichita and became more intrigued when they were given a lapel button encouraging support for the new institution.
Art was born and reared in Chicago. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Montana State University, his master’s degree from Western Reserve University, and his doctorate from the University of Texas in Austin. He taught and conducted research in the areas of botany and ecology as a tenured professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wichita State University for 42 years before retiring in 2007. Linda was born and reared in Houston. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an emphasis in special education from the University of Texas. She taught for several years as a special education teacher and served as the preschool program director and teacher at College Hill United Methodist Church, Wichita, for 17 years. She retired in 2003 after having served as director of educational ministries at University United Methodist Church for nine years.
Art was among the first to be accepted into the visiting scholars program at Africa University. He took a sabbatical and spent the spring semester of the 1994-1995 academic year on the campus as a visiting professor in the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources teaching crop physiology and conducting field and laboratory research. Linda joined Art at the end of the semester, and they spent several days touring Zimbabwe.
Art returned to the campus in 2000 with a Volunteers in Mission team to build faculty housing and again in 2004 as a member of the Compassionate Consultation Initiative Project – Zimbabwe. He was amazed by the tremendous growth that had taken place since 1995! Students, faculty, and staff had nearly tripled in number; several more new buildings had been erected to replace the renovated farm dwellings; the number of faculties or schools had increased; and the acacia saplings had grown into beautiful mature trees. Although it has been many years since Art and Linda last visited the campus, not only have they kept abreast of the university’s continuing development, but they have also been two of the university’s strongest advocates in the Great Plains Annual Conference.
Art and Linda recently established the Art and Linda Youngman Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide a full annual scholarship for residents of the Fairfield Children’s Home (Old Mutare Methodist Mission site) who wish to study at Africa University. For Art and Linda, Africa University is hope personified, not only for the young people at Fairfield Children’s Home, but also for young people across the continent who thirst for a first-rate university education.[Elaine Jenkins, Director of Planned Giving]
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Administration
Worker compensation
insurance bills past due dateBillings were sent prior to the end of the year to all churches in the Great Plains Conference for worker compensation insurance. For churches in the former Kansas East Conference those bills include property/liability insurance as well. Please note those bills were due on Jan. 10. Churches in the former Kansas East Conference have the option of setting up a finance agreement to be able to pay their bills monthly. Those agreements were also due on Jan. 10.
Bills were sent by our insurance broker Assured SRA (former Schifman Remley Associates) and are to be paid to them as noted on the invoice.
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PAUMCS workshop
set for March 13-14
The Professional Association of United Methodist Church Secretaries, or PAUMCS, will have its spring workshop Tuesday-Wednesday, March 13-14, at First United Methodist Church, 612 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan.
Speaker for the workshops is Angela Janzen-Fairbanks, productivity coach and owner of Janzen Marketing. The cost for the workshop is $25 for PAUMCS members, $40 for non-members.
More information and a registration form are available here.
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KAUMF announces
February rates
CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION PROGRAM
FEBRUARY 2017 RATES
12 Month term - 1.20%
24 Month term - 1.50%
The Certificate of Participation program provides an investment alternative for those who are seeking the security of a fixed income type vehicle at competitive rates. It is an excellent option for investors who like to invest in certificate of deposits or money market funds. These certificates have been registered with the State of Kansas Securities Commission.
It is the funding source of our Church Development Loan Program by providing loans to United Methodist Churches and Institutions throughout the state of Kansas to purchase real estate, purchase buildings for New Church starts, renovate existing buildings, operating needs and re-financing existing indebtedness.
Investing in the Foundation's Certificate of Participation program is available to residents of Kansas as well as Kansas United Methodist churches and institutions who value the concept of helping grow the United Methodist churches throughout the state while earning exceptional rates.
$1,000 minimum investment - 12-month term or 24-month term
Simple Application Process - Must obtain an Offering Circular
Interest is reinvested semi-annually or paid semi-annually or paid quarterly
No fixed rate is possible and there is no minimum rate of interest
If you are interested in investing in a Certificate of Participation, please contact the Foundation’s office at 1-888-453-8405 or online at www.kaumf.org for the current interest rates, updated application and Offering Circular.
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Across the Connection
In Other News
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Newsletters
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Blogs & Opinion

In Layman’s Terms: Todd Seifert, conference communications director, shares a prayer for leadership, peace and love amid the turmoil of the past few weeks.
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Classifieds
Submit a classified and view other ads at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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