Communiqué 351 – Sept. 15, 2010
From Ronald Williams, Bishop’s Round-up for Hunger Committee vice chairperson:
The
Bishop’s Round-up for Hunger is just around the corner. I keep hearing
from food pantries all over the conference, and particularly those who
depend upon the Round-up, that they have food coming in, but it is going
out just as fast as it comes in. There are times when the shelves are
fearfully bare.
With
the weather being as unpredictable as it has been, we never know when
there will be a great demand for health kits, school kits, bedding,
layettes and paper products.
The
Bishop's Round-up for Hunger becomes increasingly important each year.
Remember Nov. 20 at the Douglas County Fair Grounds in Lawrence.
Atchison UMC’s Service of Service impacts community
The members of Atchison United Methodist Church began to “rethink
church” during August. The emphasis culminated with a unique worship
service Aug. 29—a Service of Service.
After a brief gathering with song and prayer in the fellowship hall,
dozens of members fanned out across Atchison to offer hands-on service
as worship.
Find out more at http://www.kansaseast.org/news/detail/620.
Quayle Bible Exhibit opens Sept. 26 at Baker University
The King James Bible was first published in 1611, and Baker is fortunate
enough to have two copies of that first edition. The Quayle exhibit
traces the development of the English Bible from the original sources
through publication of the King James translation.
The exhibit will be on display, by appointment only, through July 2011.
Tours for individuals, confirmation classes, adult education classes and
other church groups should be scheduled a couple of weeks in advance by
calling 785-594-8390 or e-mailing quayle@bakeru.edu.
The exhibit opening with reception will be Sept. 26 at 3 p.m.
Find out more about the exhibit at http://www.bakeru.edu/library2/quayle-bible-collection.
Leadership Institute, Oct. 7-8, discount available for young adults
Leadership Institute at United Methodist Church of the
Resurrection in Leawood is offering a significant discount to men and
women 25 years and under. They can register for the Institute for as
little as $49.
One of the most important visions at this time in the life of the
church is to focus our efforts on raising up young leaders for the
future of the church.
Look around your church and identify young men and women who have
potential for a life of Christian service. This may be in the ordained
ministry, as a lay member of a church staff, or simply as a person who
you see becoming a key volunteer within the church for years to come.
Consider sponsoring them to attend and paying their way to the
conference.
To register young adults with the special rate, go to www.cor.org/yad for instructions.
Humana insurance enrollment meetings, October
All participants in the Kansas East Conference health insurance plan
through Humana are encouraged to attend one of the meetings in October
for 2011 benefits.
There will be three different health plans offered for 2011, so it’s
important to make an informed decision on coverage selection.
A meeting for active participants will be held in each district. Three meeting for retirees will be offered.
The meetings will be:
- Oct. 18, 10 a.m. – noon, for active participants at Lenexa St. Paul’s UMC
- Oct. 18, 1:30-2:30 p.m., for retirees only at Lenexa St. Paul’s UMC
- Oct. 19, 10 a.m. – noon, for active participants at Garnett UMC
- Oct. 19, 1:30-2:30 p.m., for retirees only at Chanute First UMC
- Oct. 20, 10 a.m. – noon, for active participants at Parsons Wesley UMC
- Oct. 21, 10 a.m. – noon, for active participants at Manhattan College Avenue UMC
- Oct. 22, 10 a.m. – noon, for active participants at Topeka Highland Park UMC
- Oct. 22, 1:30-2:30 p.m., for retirees only at Topeka Highland Park UMC
Get more information from the conference calendar at http://www.kansaseast.org/events/calendar?area=All&month=10&year=2010.
Make Your Church History Happen, Nov. 13
If history is not kept, it may never have happened! The Kansas Area
Commission on Archives and History is sponsoring Make Your Church
History Happen Nov. 13 at Emporia First UMC, 823 Merchant.
Rev. Dr. Robert J. Williams, general secretary of the General
Commission on Archives and History, will give two keynote sessions, the
first on heritage and historic sites and the second on the United
Methodist family tree.
Breakout sessions include:
- Writing your church history
- How to begin a local church archives
- What to do in case of or to prevent a disaster with historic documents
- Record retention at the local church
- Archives 101
- Photo and AV materials - how to preserve
More information is available at http://www.kansaseast.org/events/detail/3458.
Horizons stewardship e-newsletter
The September issue of Horizons, by Clif Christopher, has been posted in the e-newsletter archives at http://www.kansaseast.org/enewsletterarchives.
Upper Room not involved with movie
A movie titled “I AM,” which is scheduled for release this fall,
currently is being promoted to churches in North America by its
production company, “Upper Room Multimedia.”
The Upper Room, a division of the United Methodist Board of
Discipleship, released a statement that it wants churches to know it is
in no way affiliated with the California-based production company. The
Upper Room Ministries is a Nashville-based ministry.
Learn more about The Upper Room at http://www.upperroom.org.
Rethink Church grants available
Rethink Church is awarding community event grants to United Methodist
congregations who feel that the outbound church can be a catalyst for
building relationships and transforming communities. The Rethink Church
movement encourages engagement through community impact.
If interested, visit www.umcom.org/impactcommunity, or contact a staff member by calling toll-free 877-281-6535 or e-mailing impactcommunity@umcom.org.
Give a Bible to a seeker
For less than the cost of a matinee movie ticket or a couple of gallons
of gas, you can place the New Testament in the hands of a spiritual
seeker who has responded to The United Methodist Church’s
advertisements.
United Methodist Communications is offering the Rethink Church
Edition Common English Bible (New Testament) at no cost to seekers who
request it when they visit the Rethink Church campaign Web site,
beginning in October.
United Methodist members and friends are encouraged to make gifts of
$5—the cost to print and ship one Bible to a seeker. Gifts are accepted
online or by texting the word, “Bible,” to 27722 to make a $5 gift via
cell phone billing.
Churches may also order their own copies at $5 each to give away to
church visitors or at Rethink Church events in their communities.
Get more information at http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5847611&ct=8608729¬oc=1.
Ministry with Children e-newsletter
The General Board of Discipleship produces a monthly children's
ministry e-newsletter. The August-September issue is available to
download at http://www.gbod.org/atf/cf/%7B3482e846-598f-460a-b9a7-386734470eda%7D/MWCNEWSLETTER0810.PDF.
Church growth often requires starting small
Several recent studies support the idea that growing congregations tend
to offer more small groups than churches that are losing members.
Roscoe United Methodist Church started forming small groups more
intentionally about a decade ago, said Rev. Don Dexheimer, the church's
outreach coordinator. Since then, the church has doubled its membership
to 1,100 people.
“I can't tell you that all the growth has come because of small
groups,” he said. “I can tell you that the small groups have been a
significant factor.”
Learn more at http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5259669&ct=8595949&tr=y&auid=6843133.
The Silver Tsunami
Baby Boomers, people who were born in 1946-64, have transformed almost
every aspect of public life as they have grown up and aged, including
the church. They are now poised to have a dramatic effect once again
upon the life of the church as they increasingly reach retirement age.
Are you ready? What will you and your church do with this growing
demographic?
The General Board of Discipleship has suggestions at http://www.gbod.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=nhLRJ2PMKsG&b=5609115&ct=8650209.
The Shame Factor, Oct. 24-26
A national conference for clergy, psychologists, mental health
professionals, hospital chaplains, HR staff, school counselors and
anyone interested in the effect of shame/honor in society will be Oct.
24-26 at St. Mark's UMC in Lincoln, Neb.
The Shame Factor will explore what the Bible has to say about shame,
and how shame prevents individuals and groups from reaching their
God-given potential.
William Paul Young, author of “The Shack,” will speak about the role
of shame in his life and how it led him to write his bestselling novel.
Young will deliver the keynote address of the conference on Sunday, Oct.
24, at 7 p.m.
The early registration fee is $189, which covers all sessions and
includes breakfast and lunch on Monday and Tuesday. The early
registration deadline is Oct. 8. The student rate is $159. Individual
tickets for the William Paul Young lecture are available for $30 and
$25.
More information and registration is available at http://www.shameconference.com.
2011 Congress on Evangelism, Jan. 4-7
The 2011 Congress on Evangelism will be Jan. 4-7 at Embassy Suites at
Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, S.C. The theme for the event is “Lift
High the Cross.”
Rev. Jorge Acevedo of Grace Church in Cape Coral, Fla., Dr. Joy Moore
of Duke Divinity School and Rev. Olu Brown of Impact Church in Atlanta
will preach during the evening sessions. Dr. Terry Teykl will deliver
the morning Bible studies. Rev. Wesley Putnam and the University of
Georgia Wesley Foundation Worship Team will be the music leaders
throughout the event. Bishop William Hutchinson will lead closing
worship and Holy Communion.
New this year are workshop tracks for local pastors and certified lay
speakers. Returning will be the Hispanic/Latino(a) Leadership track.
Participants may choose a track to follow, or may choose from various
stand-alone workshops that include such topics as preaching, sharing
your faith story, children and youth ministries, and small membership
churches.
The early-bird price will apply to all who register before Oct 1. Find out more at http://congressonevangelism.org.
Visit the conference Web site at http://www.kansaseast.org for more news and events.
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